The ancient oaths have at last been spoken; the spren return. Men seek what was lost; I fear the quest will destroy them.

It is the nature of the magic. A broken soul has cracks into which something else can be fit. Surgebindings, the power of creation themselves; they can brace a broken soul, but they can also widen its fissures.

The WiThe Knights Radiant must stand again.

The ancient oaths have at last been spoken; the spren return. Men seek what was lost; I fear the quest will destroy them.

It is the nature of the magic. A broken soul has cracks into which something else can be fit. Surgebindings, the power of creation themselves; they can brace a broken soul, but they can also widen its fissures.

The Windrunner is lost in a shattered land, balanced upon the boundary between vengeance and honor. The Lightweaver, slowly being consumed by her past, searches for the lie she must become. The Bondsmith, born in blood and death, now strives to rebuild what was destroyed. The Explorer, straddling the fates of two peoples, is forced to choose between slow death and a terrible betrayal of all she believes.

This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[Something I'm very confused about and can't get out of my head... Perhaps someone can clarify: So, if the Lost Radiants betrayed mankind to the Voidbringers and the Parshmen were Voidbringers, how were the Parshmen enslaved? This implies humanity won. If they won without the Radiants' help, can you really say humanity was even betrayed? (hide spoiler)]

This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[
The parshmen willingly gave up there persona's (all of there different forms) to save mankind. I think the radiants did the same. They all stopped the…more
The parshmen willingly gave up there persona's (all of there different forms) to save mankind. I think the radiants did the same. They all stopped the "desolation" which is essentially the destruction of mankind and the world in order to save it. They basically stopped the fighting by giving up their powers. Which is why so many are against the powers coming back again, they fear it will end the world once and for all.(less)(hide spoiler)]

Community Reviews

Okay, this is finally happening. I’m ranking The Stormlight Archive as my number one favorite book series of all time, overtaking the throne previously held by Mistborn trilogy, and I don’t think this will change anytime soon. The Gods of the Cosmere knows how much I love the original Mistborn trilogy but Brandon Sanderson really raised the bar for the epic fantasy genre sky high with this series.

Words of Radiance, only the second book in The Stormlight Archive series and the sequel to The Way oOkay, this is finally happening. I’m ranking The Stormlight Archive as my number one favorite book series of all time, overtaking the throne previously held by Mistborn trilogy, and I don’t think this will change anytime soon. The Gods of the Cosmere knows how much I love the original Mistborn trilogy but Brandon Sanderson really raised the bar for the epic fantasy genre sky high with this series.

Words of Radiance, only the second book in The Stormlight Archive series and the sequel to The Way of Kings, managed to build upon almost everything done by its predecessor and improve every element necessary to become a masterpiece. I’m certain the title of this book almost literally reflects its content; each word is structured to give radiance to your life simply from reading them.

The story still told from multiple POV and while still remaining mostly character driven, it's much more plot centered this time. Starting with the countdown mentioned in the beginning of the book, you're made aware that there will be a lot of twists and turns coming. The plot kept me glued to the book from cover to cover; it was so addictive to read and I couldn't wait to know more and see what happened with each page turned.

As I mentioned before, each book will shift its focus more on different specific main characters, and this time the focus rests on Shallan.

Picture: Shallan And The Chasmfiend, by emmgoyer7

Sanderson again managed to make me love a character who I wasn't the biggest fan of in their first book appearance. The first time this happened was with Steris from the Mistborn spinoffs, and now the same exact thing happened here with Shallan. Her character development in this novel is stunning, to say the least. She’s funny, lovable, and intelligent; it’s also really intriguing to see her relationship development with Kaladin, Adolin, Jasnah and Pattern. Her past is explored completely and the revelations in relating them to her current "smile" are very heartwarming.

Even though there’s a huge amount of development in and focus on Shallan, in my opinion the best storyline still comes from Kaladin’s POV; he's the main hero from The Way of Kings and from my perspective, the true main protagonist of this series. After seeing his background and development fleshed out in the first book, it’s really interesting to see how he develops into an even more amazing character by the end of this one, and Stormfather he did. Not only do the most intense and interesting plotlines come from his POV, but every single epic and badass moment literally involve his actions and existence.

Picture: “Honor is dead but I’ll see what I can do” by Vargasni

The world-building level improves again as there are more creatures, mythology, lore, and magic systems explored in this book. The scale of the world remains as grand as ever, and by now I think I know more about Alethkar, the Shattered Plains, than I know about my real country and its history. (I wish this is an exaggeration but it's not.)

The magic systems this time are explored in much more detail than in the previous book, especially in regards to the classes Windrunner and Lightweaver. I won’t give too many details on the magic system itself, because the book could do that for you. To simplify it, Windrunners deal with manipulating gravitational pulls and Lightweavers focus on creating illusions. A great example of the Windrunner ability could be seen from a PS4 video game called “Gravity Rush”. Look it up if you want to strengthen your imagination, or if you think the magic system will confuse you somehow, but here's an image preview of what I'm talking about.

Knowing the premise of the magic systems and simply from looking at the front cover of the book, you can predict there will be epic action sequences. There is much more action this time and nothing can even compare to the climax of this book. It’s honestly one of the craziest and most epic climax sequences I’ve ever read so far, even better than The Hero of Ages from the Mistborn trilogy or The Way of Kings. There are so many things happening in the last 150 pages of the book that I’m surprised I could still write a review for this. Remember my praise for the climax to The Way of Kings? Well, this one is superior by far, so prepare yourself to be mind-blown completely. Here is the front cover of the Polish version of Words of Radiance if you need more convincing.

Like in the previous book, the only con I have about this book is again, it’s not long enough and the sequel to this book is not out yet. 1090 pages long and filled with a whopping 400k word inside, and yet when I flipped the last page and closed the book, I still craved for more. When the realization that the sequel isn’t here yet dawned on me, I was crushed.

Binge reading this series inflicted me with a symptom which I called “The Stormlight Archive's Hangover”. Basically, it means I can’t start another epic fantasy other than this series for a while without the implication of giving them an unfair rating. My heart and soul still remain in Roshar, with the characters I care about deeply because of Sanderson's writing; which always made every detail so vivid and immersive.

Words of Radiance is the perfect example of the kind of experience I’m looking for in a book. It’s the reason why I read and why epic fantasy will always be my favorite genre. The epic fantasy genre has The Lord of the Rings in the past, A Song of Ice & Fire in the present, and for the future, this genre has The Stormlight Archive series to look forward to. By the conclusion of this series, I’m sure it will surpass both those series mentioned; it already has for me. The Stormlight Archive series is the mark of epic fantasy at its best. There's absolutely no reason you should skip this series if you're a fan of epic/high fantasy genre; I really hope we could go through this series together, telling stories and living these tales with our future generations.

Side note: I’m really glad I read Warbreaker first before reading this as two specific characters from there made an appearance here!

This is it. The review no one was waiting for. First thing I must say, I have never given any book 5 stars. Because that would mean it is perfect. And that's a tall order. But I couldn't give it any less. Because it was phenomenal. Like "holy shit" amazing. On to the review. Needless to say...spoilers ho!

The book was too large (not complaining) and there were too many insane parts (definitely not complaining) to do a blow by blow for each character. So I'll stick with the best five. Since it wasThis is it. The review no one was waiting for. First thing I must say, I have never given any book 5 stars. Because that would mean it is perfect. And that's a tall order. But I couldn't give it any less. Because it was phenomenal. Like "holy shit" amazing. On to the review. Needless to say...spoilers ho!

The book was too large (not complaining) and there were too many insane parts (definitely not complaining) to do a blow by blow for each character. So I'll stick with the best five. Since it was obviously Shallans book, we will start with her.

5. Mapping the shattered plains on the flyThis was a pure scholar moment. One where every neurone lines up and the answer screams at you. SYMMETRY!! And who would've thought the inspiration would come from an assassin that almost killed her. So there goes my theory that something landed in the centre and "shattered" the plains. But alas it's merely another geometrically perfect natural occurrence that is so common place on Roshar. Either way, proving every single scholar wrong in the space of 5 heartbeats...Jasnah will be proud. She basically walked in, said her piece, dropped the mic and walked off. Great moment.

4."How do you poop?"Not only was this a hilarious moment. But it was a damn good question at the perfect moment. Adolin is doing what he does. Playing the brave soldier, impressing the ladies and everything is going as usual. And then Shallan throws him a curveball. She knew what she was supposed to ask but this was the man who she'll be spending her life with (supposedly). So she shows her true self. And in my own humble opinion, because it is my review after all, that is the moment where Adolin begins to fall in love with her. Aww

3. Kaladins bootsAnother great moment for her. We all know she's not one for confrontation or lying. And when she does both it's gonna be damn good. The whole part where she meets up with the con artist was interesting. I wasn't a fan of her influence over Shallan because I could see this leading to losing her Radiance but she stayed cool and used her lessons for good. And by "good" I mean petty larceny. Then she killed and avenged her former teacher. Stay classy Shallan.

2. Becoming a spyBourne Identity mixed with high fantasy. Learning espionage from herself and working for the Ghost Bloods to accomplish her own aims. You have to respect that. Have to respect her. Also what the hell is the deal with MaskFace? The way Shallan had her committed was genius. Now she's a member and things are only going to get more convoluted. And that just makes me salivate.

1. Finding UrithiruThe mythical city. The focus of Jasnah's research. Some guy walked there but you can't find it? Kind of a slap to the face. So much work was put into hunting down the last repository of untainted knowledge of the Desolations. And she did. Centre of the Plains, Shallan manages to find the key to the portal to the secret city and saves the army from destruction. All. By. Her. Self. Number 1 moment indeed.

Because it was a whole thing. The build up from book 1. Realising that they're buildings not rocks. Realising the Shardblade was the key to opening the portal. And realising a few other things I've probably forgotten. It was the culmination of a journey she started as a child. And it was perfect.

In Way of Kings, Shallan was an interesting character. A nice read but nothing special. That all changed here. A depth was added to her as the deepest darkest secrets of her life were laid bare. And the true measure of her strength was made known.

Dalinar was as always the Blackthorn. A great man and a true soldier. After everything he has been through and has accomplished there is no one who will ever compare to him. His top five? Let's find out.

5. "Where is our honour?"This wasn't a big bit of his but it was important. It was the moment he truly realised how far men had fallen. It was the moment he realised that the head of his Knights Radiant was a little bitch. Trying to jump in and save his sons sans plate and blade was pure Blackthorn. Noble and brave and suicidal. The right course of action was clear to him. Had it been anyone else, Dalinar STILL would have tried to help. But no one else would have. You've got a lot of work to do Blackthorn.

4. Admitting his visionsAs Wit said, this was a powerful move. Standard psychological tactics. Embrace your weakness and make it your strength. And what a place to do it. Kings feast. One giant Shardplated middle finger to the whole of Alethi royalty. Like. A. Boss. Once again a moment where he shows himself above the games and pettiness. The only adult amongst children. He raises the bar and invites people to join him.

3. Banishing AmaramThis wasn't what we wanted to see but it will suffice for now. Amaram. Acting like he didn't slaughter the entirety of Kaladins squad just for a fancy piece of metal. The look on his face at the duel when he realised who Kaladin was? Priceless. Then denying it and blaming Kaladin? What a dick. Didn't work did it you douche? Dalinar figured you out. And banished your ass. That was a big moment. Kal prepared to apologise for Dalinars sake. Dalinar prepared to alienate an old friend because Kaladin was right. Heartwarming as hell. And it wasn't just an afterthought. Oh no. He set a trap!

Let's focus on that for a moment. The Blackthorn. A warrior. Despiser of politics and intrigue. Set a trap! Is there anything he can't do? No. Moment over.

2. Leading a force against the ParshendiDoes he have any idea where they are? Does he have any idea how long he'll be gone for? Does he have any idea what kind of forces they have?

Does he fuck. But he doesn't need to know because he is the Blackthorn. Bold move. Risking the Highstorms and striking out at the heart of the Parshendi. Fulfil the Vengeance Pact once and for all. A move that would either see him rise to the top of Alethkar, or see his body fall beneath it. Yet he didn't do it for the potential gain. He did it simply because it needed to be done. Deal with the Parshendi before the desolation comes. Working with few resources against a deadline. A necessary move to give them the best chance of victory. Didn't quite work out as expected. But he did what he could. And that is why he was chosen to recreate the Knights.

1. Bonding with the StormfatherThis was, without a doubt, an amazing moment. The Stormfather himself. The legend of the whole world. Wherever the Highstorm lands, the Stormfather is known. Charged by Honour himself to pass on the message. He hates humanity. He despises their weakness. And what does Dalinar do to this most widely know of spren? Binds him to his side in a moment that will never be forgotten. No fanfare or anything, just business. Dalinar...I salute you.

Now that we know the fates of the past spren, we know that this has never been done before. Never in all the Desolations before has anyone bonded with the Stormfather. Now the last Desolation is here and the Blackthorn will wield the Stormfather against the Voidbringers to reclaim the Tranquiline Halls.

Adolin. Such a great guy. Always trying to do the right thing. Defend his father, his brother, his aunt, his king and his girl (whoever it may be at the time). Now for his best moments.

5. Cologne? In prison?The fact that Adolin imprisoned himself in protest of Kaladins punishment was amazing. Yeah we've always known he was a good guy. But this? Kaladin threw himself into a Shard duel with nothing but a spear. And earned Adolin's loyalty. He couldn't overrule the king, obviously, but he did the next best thing. The son of a Highprince. In prison. For a Bridgeman. The honour is boundless. Yeah he bathed. So what? He's not an animal.

4. IronstanceThis refers to his first duel of the book. When he decided to stop playing games. These cretins were discrediting his family, his father and his house. And Adolin showed him what happens when you do something so stupid. You get a battering. This was a no mercy moment and it was fantastic. You could see Adolin accept the responsibility of guarding his family. Standing up to take the weight on his shoulders. The maturing moment. Love it.

3. Final battle. This was a great moment. Not the greatest. But still awesome. Leading a battalion against the first Voidbringers of the Last Desolation? Too good. The entire charge was amazing. Going toe to toe with Stormform while the weather goes batshit crazy is a hell of a feat. AND THEN he manages to sneak a thousand guys round the back of the enemies line and single handedly stops them finishing their devil song. And while he's at it he kills their only Shardbearer. All in a days work. *Brushes off shoulder*

2. Killing that rat bastard SadeasWe all wanted it. We all dreamed of doing it. No one cried. Everyone cheered. When Adolin wrapped his hands around Sadeas' neck and squeezed, we all went crazy. Parades were thrown and champagne flowed down the street. After what he did we all wanted him dead. Preferably at Dalinar or Kaladins hands. But given their new Radiant status it wasn't gonna happen. Enter Adolin. While I approve its gonna spell problems between him and Shallan especially since she is also a Radiant. Drama! But still, glad he killed him.

What I don't quite get is how Sadeas was that unstable. The Radiants have returned, Everstorm has returned and he is standing in the lost city of Urithiru. And he still wants to steal Dalinars power and position. Idiot.

1. 4 on 1 duel.For me this was the greatest of all. A duel between Shardbearers is an awe inspiring thing. Then when Adolin proposed a 2 on 1 it was a thing of beauty. We were all waiting for the craziness to begin. Then it did. 4 fully armed and armoured warriors standing in front of Adolin. And we lost our shit. I still remember Zahels words "they're afraid of you...show them why". And he did.

That was the best thing. The honour! The courage! Anyone would have conceded the fight. It would have been the obvious thing to do. The smart thing. But not the right thing.

Attacking like the Whitespine, he showed no mercy and gave no quarter. And he held his own. For a while at least. Let's be honest, with those odds we all expected him to die but he survived. And won. Yes it was a group effort. Kaladin fought like a mad man and Renarin...was there. All in all. Adolin's best scene.

Kaladin...is Kaladin. Need I say more? No. I don't.

5. Riding the RyshadiumThis was a really subtle scene. First of all I'd like to point out that one of the greatest warriors alive can't ride a horse. Does that not seem odd? I thought he was of a high enough nahn to get riding lessons but I guess not. Back to the scene. Despite the fact he had only started riding horses about an hour earlier he STILL went and rode the Ryshadium. Well, he tried anyway. But the biggest thing was that he laughed. Genuinely. For a few moments everything was forgotten and there was a simple joy in his life. And for THAT I have made this a top five scene. Because even the greatest need to laugh every once in a while.

4. First flightWe all remember him practicing in the plains. Lashing himself from side to side. Jumping around like a monkey on meth. And then he did it. That which we have all been waiting for since we realised its possible. He lashed himself upwards. And he flew!! Oh my days was it amazing! Rising into the sky. Ascending unto the heavens. Perhaps I'm reading too much into this but it was superb. Soaring through the clouds with Syl and a whole group of wind spren. He was free of the shackles of gravity and understood that the limits of his power were of his own creation.

3. Killing the ChasmfiendThis was a hell of a fight. Two Knights versus one Chasmfiend. I can't be sure but I believe that the Chasmfiend was actually Voidspren possessed. A few choice moments during the fight, like the intelligence in its eyes and the red spren leaving it's body after. But that's later. Being hunted by a Chasmfiend through the cracks in the plains was amazing. The sheer desperation of the chase was exhilarating. The way Kaladin killed it was superb. Sword to the brain. From inside the mouth. Chasmfiend steaks for all!

2. "Honour is dead"This was without a doubt an amazing moment. A surreal moment. Surreal in that I actually believed I was on Roshar watching this duel happen, and I STILL didn't believe it was happening. This scene has made it into the top 5 of 3/4 of the main characters. And even though Shallan was there it was Pattern that did the work. Plus she had better bits.

Leaping into an arena full of Shardblades is an act of supreme insanity. Unless you are Kaladin Stormblessed. With nothing more than a spear he leapt into a battle where each man counts as a hundred. But he is no man. He is a Knight. Weaving around strike after strike, he fought incredibly. A force of nature, long forgotten, now returned. Drawing Stormlight from his own reserves and the fractured plate itself.

Now let's be clear on one thing. He was there as support. He was there to distract one or two while Adolin beat the others. That doesn't lessen his actions. Throughout this book he has been wavering between what he wants to do and what he should do. But when push comes to shove, he knows the right thing and he does it with no hesitation.

1. Resurrecting his OathThis was an emotional bit. Sounds weird but it was. Just to be clear the number one Kaladin moment stretches from "Elhokar was Dalinars Tien" all the way to the renewal of his Radiance.

The revelation. He's injured. Weak, both physically and emotionally. And it's raining. Which is so very important. Tien would always cheer his big brother up during the rains. So in his vulnerable state it's no shock that he would think back to how his brother died. How Kaladin failed Tien. The guilt was weighing so heavily. His spirit close to breaking as he tried to justify killing Elhokar. Then the words come. Not the Radiant oaths but these were arguably more important. The words he uses to justify killing the king were the same ones that turned the lifeless body of his innocent little brother into a military strategy. And for the first time in a while, Kaladin was back. He realised that he cannot be that man who decides who to save and who to condemn. Then he realises that Dalinar loves his nephew like Kaladin loved Tien. And after that...nothing more need be realised.

Charging up to the palace. Injured and weak. All to save a man he despises. Uses a spear to take out two armoured guards. Finds Elhokar drunk and unconscious. Manages to rouse him and runs straight into Moash. Wearing the plate Kaladin gave him. What a dick.

In Moash's defense, tenuous though it is, he did try to get Kaladin to stand down. As far as Moash knows, nothing's changed. But everything has changed (Taylor Swift song. Good song). The battering Kaladin receives at the hands of those two is simply brutal. Add that to his pre-existing injuries and you wonder what is keeping this mans heart beating. Moash wonders the same when in awe he asks "Kal, how are you standing?"

The answer? He sees himself clearly. Truly. The pain burns the falsities away and Kaladin knows who he wants to be. A true protector. Syl and Stormfather arguing over him. She claims him. Say the words Kaladin. Stretch forth thy hand.

"I protect even those I hate so long as it is right"

There are no words to convey how insane I went at this point. My kindle was set down while I cheered silently but hysterically. Holy shit! He led us on such a ride. Even to the point of losing Syl. But he pulled through. He became a knight in truth.

And so concludes the top five for the main four. What follows are writings on minor characters.

Szeth. Ah man I feel so sorry for the guy. Lied to by his people and forced to become a murderer. His gentle nature broken by the weight of so many innocent lives. All because the Shin didn't want to admit that maybe things were about to get bad. Not only did they bury their heads in the sand but they decapitated the one guy who didn't. Dicks

His duels with Kaladin were amazing. Not only because it was Radiant vs Radiant but because they finally showed him the truth. That he was right all along. Also Kaladin healing his dead arm? The implications are staggering.

It was also good because that was probably the first assassination attempt where he failed to kill anyone. Ok on the plains not so much. The way he tried to kill Dalinar? Lashing him upwards just enough to ascend? That was amazing! True it might be my inner psycho talking but come on! And then it ends by him being resurrected to join the Knights Radiant as internal affairs. With Nightblood. Because that's gonna end well.

Tarovingian is a hell of a mystery. A fluctuating intelligence level? Obviously a gift from that Nightwatcher. Who I maintain is a splinter of Cultivation. But he's basically got a quantum diagram detailing the future and has folk acting on it to guarantee survival. Not victory. Survival. So there's obviously a very large part of the diagram detailing the extinction of humanity.

Whilst reading a few questions came to mind:•is the desolation happening because Odium is returning?•if he is returning, why? Honour is already dead and one must assume Cultivation is as well. Why would he kill one threat and leave another?•how is being around Kaladin, awakening the Radiance in his bridge men?•can Kaladin use Stormlight to heal other people? •what does Taln reacting to Shallans magic mean?•how will Alethi society change now that the major players are now in Urithiru?•in the face of another desolation will the Radiants be welcomed?•are the Parshendi the voidbringers or is it the spren that inhabit them?

I will admit that my words did not do justice to these fine moments. You want good words? Read the book. Until next time fellow Radiants.

I freaking loved this book! I am going to give a crazy arse review that will probably only make sense to me and throw in some excerpts and pictures and who cares?! Almost everyone has read this right, right?

I love you Brandon Sanderson! But now that I sit and think about it, I will most likely be dead before you finish the books. I still love you though!

I still love all of the mRe-read on Audible! Now I'm ready for Oathbringer! 😄

I freaking loved this book! I am going to give a crazy arse review that will probably only make sense to me and throw in some excerpts and pictures and who cares?! Almost everyone has read this right, right?

I love you Brandon Sanderson! But now that I sit and think about it, I will most likely be dead before you finish the books. I still love you though!

I still love all of the men of --->BRIDGE FOUR<---- Here's a random EXCERPT<---

Kaladin pressed the stone against the wall of the chasm, and it stuck there. "All right," he said, stepping back. Rock jumped up and grabbed it, then dangled from the wall, bending legs below. His deep, bellowing laugh echoed in the chasm. "This time, he holds me!"Sigzil made a notation on his ledger. "Good. Keeping hanging on, Rock.""For how long?" Rock asked. "Until you fall.""Until I..." The large Horneater frowned, hanging from the stone with both hands. "I do not like this experiment any longer."

Let me just get this off my chest and out of the way. I love Kaladin. I loved him in book one, I love him in book two, I will love him for all time!

In the first book I wasn't really all that fond of Shallan, not that I really didn't like her, I just didn't care for her parts. Probably because all of the action was with the boys elsewhere. And in this beginning until half way through the book I didn't care too much for her parts either, although, they were a lot better than they were in the first book as she joins up with the gang. This would include Bridge Four, the King, Dalinar, Adolin, the evil peeps and everyone else. I particular fell in love with her character when her and Kaladin were stuck in a chasm together. They had a wonderful banter together and had to get out of some sticky situations. Kaladin also found out some very interesting things about her. So now my opinion is that she's pretty damn cool and I want to read more of what's going on with her.

I didn't care too much for Dalinar's son Adolin in the first book but he blew me away in this one. He is a really good dude!

--->EXCERPT<---

Kaladin reached the jailer, taking him by the arm. "What is happening? The king put Dalinar's heir in here?""The king didn't have anything to do with it," the jailer said. "Brightlord Adolin insisted. So long as you were in here, he wouldn't leave. We tried to stop him, but the man's a prince. We can't storming make him do anything, not even leave. He locked himself away in the cell and we just had to live with it."Impossible. Kaladin glanced at Adolin, who walked slowly down the hallway. The prince looked a lot better than Kaladin felt--Adolin had obviously seen a few baths, and his prison cell had been much larger, with more privacy. It had still been a cell. That was the disturbance I heard, Kaladin thought, on that day, early after I was imprisoned. Adolin came and shut himself in.Kaladin jogged up to the man. "Why?""Didn't seem right, you in here," Adolin said, eyes forwarad. "I ruined your chance to dual Sadeas.""I'd be crippled or dead without you," Adolin said. "So I wouldn't have had the chance to fight Sadeas anyway." The prince stopped in the hallway, and looked at Kaladin. "Besides. You saved Renarin.""It's my job," Kaladin said."Then we need to pay you more, bridgeboy," Adolin said. "Because I don't know if I've ever met another man who would jump, unarmored, into a fight among six Shardbearers."Kaladin frowned. "Wait. Are you wearing cologne? In prison?""Well, there was no need to be barbaric, just because I was incarcerated."

I'm going back and forth with all of this too. There is a point where Kaladin, Adolin and Dalinar are trying to fight this assassin from killing the king, but he is strong, so very strong. Imagine the sweetness when Kaladin scared him off because he knew Kaladin was something else.

Syl, Kaladin's little Spren is in this too of course. I love her so much. She plays a vital part in this book. Well, she's vital anyway and we get to learn more about her.

So back when Shallan and Kaladin were kinda lost in the chasm's, Shallan sort of figured something out from her drawings and a whole group of her and some of the peeps go back there. Kaladin is healing from an unfortunate event and I'm so glad that changed in this book. I was afraid Mr. Sanderson might leave us hanging on until the next book. BUT... OMG, it was so EPIC to me when Kaladin saw the light so to speak. I thought I was going to have a panic attack I was so excited! He ended up fighting the assassin in an awesome showdown, people found some stuff, people died, and people found out some more awesome stuff. And there is more messed up stuff to come they will have to fight in the other book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's a lot of stuff!

My apologies in advance for the ridiculous amount of updates I'm going to post for this book.It cannot be helped as my fangirling refuses to be contained.

Original review April 2014:

“Honor is dead. But I'll see what I can do.”

I stand in awe of fantasy writers that can make an entire new world, magic systems, cultures, history, lands and everything else that goes into making a great fantasy and fill it with so many details that while you are reading the story you can get so drawn in that you feel like you are there or that it is a real place. Brandon Sanderson is one such writer. I enjoyed The Way of Kings (WoK) and gave it a 4.5 rating Words of Radiance is even better and 5 stars just doesn’t seem like enough. The world is richer and we hit the ground running in this installment since the world has already been set forth. Sanderson still built up on the foundation he already created in WoK and everything he added to it made if all the richer.

Sanderson is maybe the best writer I have read at giving a lot of ups and downs throughout the story but saving up and building steam for that last 15-20% where the shit hits the fan and the intensity just skyrockets all the way to the end. I was on the edge of my seat, reminding myself to read all the words and take my time but I was so excited to see what happened next that I found myself reading faster and faster as everything in the story was unfolding.

Told from multiple POVs throughout the story gives the reader an all-encompassing understanding of the world and the various interests and plots of gods and men. Every new layer and character added something to the story. The end of each part of the book had me struggling to take my time through the interludes as I couldn’t wait to see what was happening with our characters. A few of the interludes were from the Parshendi POV and gave an interesting understanding of the war, and the Parshendi’s goals. Some of the interludes revisited a few of the characters from WoK and made more sense to me in how they fit into this story while I imagine others importance will make more sense later.

While WoK’s was very much Kaladins story WoR is more Shallan’s. I was a little worried about this as I didn’t really like Shallan very much in WoKs. She was naïve and came to steal for Jasnah for that very reason she was less likeable. But she totally grew on me in this book as she really comes into her own and we have a chance to learn of her past. She has been hiding from it for so long that it is hard for her to face.

“I seek the truth,” Shallan said. “Wherever it may be, whoever may hold it. That’s who I am.”

I grew to really love her character. She is full of banter and wit and gets herself in just as much trouble as she gets herself out of. I had so much fun following her story as she travelled to the shattered plains and it was even more fun once she met both Kaladin and Adolin. I see the hint of a possible love triangle in there somewhere but thank god it hasn’t hit yet. I really enjoyed the time she spent with each of the men but her first meeting and later banter with Kaladin was some of the funniest dialogue in the book.

“The only time you seem honest is when you’re insulting someone!”“The only honest things I can say to you are insults.”

Oh Shallon does have a sharp tongue and it seems that she is unlike anyone else Adolin has tried to date before. She has the princeling a little twisted up with what he should do. The way that Shallon is able to affect the lives of those around her and change them for the better was amazing as well. She was able to change the lives a few people extraordinarily and her new found abilities are extremely intriguing. She does seem in a little over her head though.

Adolin was also a character from the last book that I wasn’t a huge fan of. Compared to his father Dalinar and Kaladin he just wasn’t that interesting to me. Well that has totally changed in this book. Adolin is more than he seems for sure and as a few of the chapters are told from his perspective I really started to enjoy his character. The lengths he goes to for the people in his family and for what he feels is right are fantastic. But he still has the privileged air about him so he does it in the most comfortable manor possible.

“Kaladin frowned. “Wait. Are you wearing cologne? In prison?”“Well, there was no need to be barbaric, just because I was incarcerated.”“Storms, you’re spoiled,” Kaladin said, smiling.“I’m refined, you insolent farmer,” Adolin said. Then he grinned. “Besides, I’ll have you know that I had to use cold water for my baths while here.”“Poor boy.”

Kaladin’s arc is a journey of right and wrong, honor and betrayal, past and present. He has a big boulder on his shoulder against all lighteyes based on is past. Some warrant it and others do not. But it is a journey a true hero must take if he is to be a hero. I was happy I liked Shallan so much otherwise I might have got lost in Kaladin being a little bit of a downer through some of this. He was lost in his hate at times, although warranted it was hard to journey that with him. It was nice when a few people were able to drag him out of it.

“I trust you. It’s a very strange sensation.”“Yeah, well, I’ll try to hold myself back from going skipping across the plateau in joy.”Adolin grinned. “I’d pay to see that.”“Me skipping?”“You happy,” Adolin said, laughing. “You’ve got a face like a storm! I half think you could frighten off a storm.”

Kaladin really struggles with his vows and his relationship with Syl. Did I mention that I really hope somehow someway that Syl and Kaladin a destined to be together. That as their bond grows she will become more corporeal in our world and they can have a romance, which is totally the girl in me talking. I ship them so hard though. It is my dream and it is farfetched but I want it anyway.

DALINAR was my favorite character from the last book and he had a few moments in this one where I wasn’t sure what to expect from him. It seemed that he might not be up to the task at hand and then he would pull something unbelievable out. I loved his pose and calm. He is everything that a leader should be, that a king should be. I always still seem to underestimate him and I am surprised by how he reacts to situations.

“What you did tonight was clever,” Wit said. “You turned an attack into a promise. The wisest of men know that to render an insult powerless, you often need only to embrace it.”

Sometimes he is played the fool but he recovers quickly and always moves in a positive direction no matter the cost to himself. He is truly a good man doing the best he can for his kingdom and with so much stacked against him that can’t be hard.

He is the character that I worried for the most because that is who Szeth was sent to kill in WoK. Any meeting they had was intense and the conclusions to both their arcs in this book were unexpected and left my jaw on the floor.

“He fought as he wished he had all those years ago, for the chance he had missed. In that moment between storms--when the rain stilled and the winds drew in their breaths to blow--he danced with the slayer of kings, and somehow held his own.”

There are so many other characters that played great roles in this. Rock, Teft, Lopen, Wit, Jasnah, Sadeas (I hate that dude), Sebarial and Palona as well so many others, I couldn’t possibly name them all.There are so many reveals that will play a big part in other books and some that were shocking in this one. I was on a rollercoaster almost the entire book and so many characters had surprises in their arcs. The epilogue had me jumping out of my seat with excitement. What a fantastic way to end the story.

All I know for sure at the end of this book is The Desolation Comes and it will be an epic journey that I can’t wait to participate in.

Initial mini review:Squee....Happy Dance...Squee some more. There were so many things I loved, and loved hating in this book. OMG the ending and again the last 20% rocked my world/the other 80% was great too....but the last 20% WOW!!!

March 5th: Done with first readthrough. It was, in fact, more perfect than expected. I only cried a little bit; mostly afterwards I just have this feeling of intense satisfaction.I will probably still wait to review until I've read through twice; I have a lot that I think I want to say but I haven't fully processed it.

August 10: It's obvious to everyone that I'm not gonna get around to a reread for a while, right? Cool. I'll do it eventually, because I have a lot to say about this book, but it'lMarch 5th: Done with first readthrough. It was, in fact, more perfect than expected. I only cried a little bit; mostly afterwards I just have this feeling of intense satisfaction.I will probably still wait to review until I've read through twice; I have a lot that I think I want to say but I haven't fully processed it.

August 10: It's obvious to everyone that I'm not gonna get around to a reread for a while, right? Cool. I'll do it eventually, because I have a lot to say about this book, but it'll take a lot more time and energy than I have right now.

4 MARCH 2014: IT'S OUT! I'm going to leave this review up as-is until I can replace it with an actual review of the book; as I'm going to be reading it twice (one speed-read before Sanderson comes to my area for a signing, one thorough re-read afterwards) that may be some time.

18 December 2013: Review rewritten/reorganized to be more coherent and remove out-of-date info.19 January 2014: Links added for TOR-released chapters. There will be two more chunks posted on the website before the book comes out.21 January 2014: First of those two remaining chunks released at noon EST. I feel pretty comfortable saying we'll see the last set of chapters - the ones Peter Ahlstrom has been hinting at by saying we haven't gotten the 'hooks' yet - at the same time on the 28th.28 January 2014: I was right. Links updated below. Note that now all the chapters we know to expect have been released; this may be the end of preview material.

RELEASE DATE: March 4. This is pretty much set at this point.COVER/FLAP DESCRIPTION: can be found here. If you're not sure who's who, title explanations are under the spoiler cut: (view spoiler)[the Windrunner is Kaladin, the Lightweaver is Shallan, and the Explorer is Eshonai. We're pretty sure the Bondsmith is Dalinar; I'm hesitant to list that as an absolute ID because I still think he's a strong contender for being a Stoneward. The Assassin, obviously, is Szeth. (hide spoiler)]As of this review update, the version Goodreads has on their page for the book is the old version. There are obviously major changes between the two, but both provide interesting hints towards plot events.

As of right now, everything released via the Steelhunt is also on this list, so if you don't have a code you're not missing anything. One note: Everything marked 'excerpt' can be considered correct re: spelling and grammar, because it comes from an official source. Anything marked 'transcript' may have misspelled names or inaccurate punctuation. Obviously, any and all of these portions are subject to change before the final version....more

Words of Radiance is an absolutely marvelous continuation of the Stormlight Archive series.

As many of you know, it gets harder to review books in a series the further you get away from the first book. Here I am at the end of only book 2 & already over 2000 pages into this series (or over 80 hours in my case) and there is just soooo muchhhh storyyyy! So naturally, it's tough to write a review without any spoilers BUT HERE I GO BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT ALL OF YOU!

So one of the things I appreciateWords of Radiance is an absolutely marvelous continuation of the Stormlight Archive series.

As many of you know, it gets harder to review books in a series the further you get away from the first book. Here I am at the end of only book 2 & already over 2000 pages into this series (or over 80 hours in my case) and there is just soooo muchhhh storyyyy! So naturally, it's tough to write a review without any spoilers BUT HERE I GO BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT ALL OF YOU!

So one of the things I appreciate most about Sanderson's style is how he unfolds the stories he chooses to tell. No matter the scope, there's always a realistic scattering of situations that serve to grow the main characters in a way that feels very natural. There's always a reliably steady build toward the culmination of events.

Circumstances are not contrived, and I never have to worry about the author telling me how I should feel about his characters without also showing me why. Dialogue is realistic, and I am especially fond of how much humor Sanderson worked into this installment. I've heard whisperings of those who think Sanderson's dialogue is cheesy, but I'm a real fan of quick witted banter & puns & so a particular scene in the chasms really warmed my heart.

I found myself extremely engaged with the Interludes for this installment. The Interludes in Words of Radiance did a far superior job of developing the fringes of the story than in The Way of Kings. It grows the span of the realm & makes me feel like I'm reading about a real place with real people & real conflicts that don't always wrap themselves up into neat, solvable packages.

As a whole, this series strikes a nice balance between politics & magic, but I felt as though the politicking was a bit lacking in this novel. Thankfully, this is mostly made up for by two elements:

1. How strongly the Interludes contribute to the developing political atmosphere of Roshar.

2. The captivating expansions of the magic system in relation to our main characters.

Some of the lack has to do with Dalinar's POV being almost entirely absent. The novel switches back & forth between Kaladin & Shallan 99% of the time, and so we are largely excluded from Dalinar's part in the political game outside of brief snatches of his interactions with those two.

Speaking of POV's, the unbalance here is something I mentioned in my review of The Way of Kings, but after reading Words of Radiance I think it's something I have come to terms with. It was difficult for me to spend over a thousand pages without Dalinar, as he is my favorite character. But I think Sanderson is expressing this story in the way that makes the most logical sense, and if that means spending 100 pages with Kaladin, then that's what it means.

Long story short, I was a lot less bothered this time around because I've come to expect Sanderson will spend the time he deems necessary with each character & after all the time I've spent in the Cosmere universe, I will just trust him.

Now we come to one of my absolute favorite elements of this novel, the action/battle scenes. They're just so energizing & exciting to read! Specifically I think a lot of us are impressed by the scene we've affectionately dubbed "Honor Is Dead."

Damn, friends.

When I first listened to this scene, I had to stop my car on the side of the road just so I could completely lose myself in it. There is literally no word more appropriate for it than badass. This scene is surrounded by many more action sequences, all of which help my rapt attention. I love reading Sanderson's combat, especially because it gives me the opportunity to see how beautifully he works in his own magic systems. The experience is like a dance.

Overall, small hang ups on POV's & politics do not weigh enough to influence how much I enjoyed this story. That's a huge part of Sanderson's appeal as a fantasy writer - his stories are consistently satisfying, unique, and a hell of a lot of fun. I'm very specifically planning out when I will pick up Oathbringer, because once I finish I will have finished all I have left to read of the Cosmere. I want to wait a couple of months before I dive in because I want to savor every moment of that book when I get to it (plus I hear there's quite a lot of Dalinar so I'm more than ready for that!)

Now before I close this review I want to mention something spoilery. Please do not read past this point if you haven't read this series!

***SPOILERS BELOW***

Alright so Jasnah...

Not for one second did I believe that she was dead & I'm actually really surprised the rouse of her death carried on for the whole book! It was stressing me out how long it took her to show back up because she was just way too important to be taken down at the hands of an assassin & I was worried Sanderson may wait until Oathbringer to bring her back around.

Jasnah is, in my estimation, the best female character of the series & so when she finally makes a reappearance I was more annoyed than relieved because I couldn't believe she was also kept out of this story for so long. Every time Shallan & Navani had an interaction over Jasnah's death, I just rolled my eyes. This obviously isn't a huge deal, I just wanted to rant about it for a moment!...more

WORDS OF RADIANCE is the second installment of Brandon Sanderson's STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE series, and, unfortunately . . . it fell a little flat for me.

Don't get me wrong, I liked it. This was one of those occasions when my rating steadily declined the more I stewed about the ends and outs . . . but immediately u4/29/18: So far the graphic audio version of STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE has been fantastic, so I’m hopeful that Kaladin will annoy me less this time . . . *crosses fingers*

WORDS OF RADIANCE is the second installment of Brandon Sanderson's STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE series, and, unfortunately . . . it fell a little flat for me.

Don't get me wrong, I liked it. This was one of those occasions when my rating steadily declined the more I stewed about the ends and outs . . . but immediately upon completion, I was all, "Yeah! Sanderson rocks again. WOOT!

But then came the stewing . . .

I had several significant issues with this book:

1. Cosmere crossover misfire.

The Cosmere is the realm in which many of Sanderson's different series take place. There are different worlds for the individual series, but these worlds are all in the same universe. I believe the ultimate goal is to begin a new series (after the completion of its forerunners) that ties the worlds together in a less tangential way.

Anyway, there are Easter eggs aplenty for a savvy fanperson, and I was made aware that a couple of important characters from a different series played important roles in WoR.

So I read the book from which these characters came just prior to starting to WoR . . . and then I completely missed Crossover #1's big entrance.

"How is that even possible?" you ask, and that's an excellent question, b/c, yes, I had just finished Crossover's book, and, yes, everything from it should have been fresh.

BUT.

Sanderson decided to disguise Crossover. Changed his name and made him a "Master" of something he had previously only been good at. In fact, in Crossover's book, he wins fights against more skilled foe by distracting them, b/c he knows he can't win if he plays fair.

How are we supposed to recognize Crossover if he's in disguise?

Another excellent question.

The obvious answer would be to make a point of gestures or catch phrases Crossover became known for, or references to key ideas from the world we last saw him in . . . and in a way Sanderson did this: he made up metaphors that referred to the most obvious aspect of the magic system in Crossover's world.

BUT. There were no such metaphors used in the actual book.

So despite the obvious nature of these "colloquialisms," they flew right over my head, b/c they weren't consistent to that world. Add to that the fundamental alteration of Crossover's abilities, and I failed to see the point of having a crossover at all.

And Rule #1 was broken. If you don't want to be spoiled, that's all I can say about it. For the Sandersonites who demand to know my reasons for casting more aspersions on their beloved namesake: (view spoiler)[I KNOW he wanted to make a point about the resilience of Surgebinders when he "killed" Jasnah, but he chose a crap way to do it. The fact that he had to explain his intent in numerous posts and even wrote a Jasnah POV detailing exactly what happened only makes my point for me.

Furthermore, the focus of this book felt completely different than its predecessor.

In WoK, good triumphed over evil b/c valor and loyalty and determination to be better than the corrupt leadership. Slaves became bloody heroes, and I thought my heart would burst from the FEELS.

In WoR . . . Shallan refused to unstick her head from the sand, and no amount of witty banter could overshadow her chicken-ness. Kaladin was the aforementioned loser, whiny baby. Dalinar shifted his stance on something he had previously forbidden b/c it was a convenient way to get rid of the competition, and Adolin had a psychotic break.

Instead of steadfast perseverance resulting in victory, victory was obtained despite the lack of heroism, b/c last minute come-to-Jesus.

I do not like this. At all.

However . . . there were enough interesting plot developments and secondary characters to keep it from being truly awful. Lift was enough by herself to make reading WORDS OF RADIANCE a worthwhile endeavor, and in a series like this skipping installments isn't an option. But ultimately . . . I'd say we have a classic case of Second Book Syndrome on our hands. Recommended with qualifications.

Welp. I did it. I was patient. I waited. BUT. Now it is finally (almost) time: BR of EPIC proportions with Sanctum of Fantasy. Starting 5/1/15. WOOT.

Pre-Review:

Dear Brandon Sanderson,

Full RTC.

My other reviews for this series:

The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive #3)["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

"...“As I fear not a child with a weapon he cannot lift, I will never fear the mind of a man who does not think.”..."

OMG!!! This was not just a book, it was a 4 day vacation to the world of Roshar, the complete package! It came with exotic locations, historical sites, a taste of the lives of all social classes including their cuisines and family traditions ("You're in my home now!" she said, and Lopen mouthed along with the words. "In a Herdazian woman's home, nobody's station means nothing b

"...“As I fear not a child with a weapon he cannot lift, I will never fear the mind of a man who does not think.”..."

OMG!!! This was not just a book, it was a 4 day vacation to the world of Roshar, the complete package! It came with exotic locations, historical sites, a taste of the lives of all social classes including their cuisines and family traditions ("You're in my home now!" she said, and Lopen mouthed along with the words. "In a Herdazian woman's home, nobody's station means nothing beside her own. I'm not going to have them come and get you and find you not properly fed! I'll not have people saying that, Your Brightship, no I won't! Eat up. I've got soup cooking."), a ton of rainy Stormy days, and specific for the area fauna and flora. We did get a steady diet of the local political intrigues and barely survived in the civil wars and border disputes, but what is a vacation in a distant land, world-hopping with Hoit, without some bloodshed, am I right?:)

"...“Onward, then! To glory and some such nonsense.” ..."

I am not going to pretend I have any idea where to start with a review of a work of this scope and caliber. Similar to how I felt about all the works in Jordan's "Wheel of Time", the only thing I really feel like doing is put my great caps on the key-board and gush of how much I loved everything about it. However, I am trying to be an adult here and write something that makes sense, so I am going to try to stomp my enthusiasm and adult a bit...

"...“Expectation. That is the true soul of art. If you can give a man more than he expects, then he will laud you his entire life. If you can create an air of anticipation and feed it properly, you will succeed.” ..."

Despite the rather obvious attempt of the author to tell us about expectations of an artist and how and when one can live up to them, I think Brandon Sanderson has done a darn good job at keeping the promise he made to us with the first volume of the series. He promised us something Epic, something full of characters we can root for and root against, and he promised us a battle between Good and Evil which will be contentious, multi-leveled, and just as murky and conflicting for those who find themselves in the middle of it as it is in Real Life. He promised us to laugh and to cry, moments of pure and languid wonder, as well as the breathless inability to put the book down and forgo with sleep and favorite other activities just so we could find out what happens next. It promised us a game of clues, little crumbs of information thrown in across the books of the hole Cosmere Universe, which raise the steaks of survival not only to the faith of a People, a Kingdom, a World, but of the complex relationships and causalities which affect all the Worlds in the Whole Cosmere Universe!!! And he made us promise of romance, and growth, and happiness, and pain... I am here to day definitively, Mr. Sanderson DELIVERED!!! And just like Amazon, he delivered PRIME!!!

"...“He fought as he wished he had all those years ago, for the chance he had missed. In that moment between storms--when the rain stilled and the winds drew in their breaths to blow--he danced with the slayer of kings, and somehow held his own.”..."

The Way of Kings was all about our dark-eyed, doctor-in-training, slave-freeing, Stormlight-consuming warrior, Kaladin. We got his background story, we got the path of how he got to where he is, and we got to love the gang of Bridge Four. Yes, we had multiple POV's, as we do here, but the majority was concerned with how Kaladin became Kaladin. In this volume, the person whom we get to know from the outside in and vise versa is Shallan. We all had a pretty good idea that things were not as they seemed with this smart-mouth young noble, who somehow manages to get in trouble all the time and insults people regardless of station or length of acquaintance.

"...“Are you that afraid of being wrong? One would assume you’d be accustomed to it by now.”He grunted. “Be careful, girl. You wouldn’t want to accidentally insult a man.”“The last thing I’d want to do is accidentally insult you, Vathah,” Shallan said. “To think that Icouldn’t manage it on purpose if I wanted!”..."

I really, really don't want to get into the details of the plot, less I give something away and spoil it for people. However, I would want to encourage all my reading friends, be it fans of the Fantasy Genre or not, to read this series. It is sweet, but not syrupy so, it has romance, but just hints at it, it is violent, but only as befitting the true purpose of the plot, no gratuitous violence at all, it has politics and war, but they do not prevail the content and there is enough balance in order to make it interesting for all, it is witty, and yes, sometimes that felt just a little forced, but it was a good counterpoint to the sadness that many of the realities of this World bring about. What I am trying to say is that this is not a perfect book, despite the rating I give it. It has its weaknesses and there are plenty of things I would have wanted more or less of, but as a whole, this is a worthy investment of time and money. I think we are experiencing modern classic in the making and none of us should be left ignorant of it:) The bad news - I believe there are 10 books planned in the series and this is only the second. The good news - the third book is coming out in couple of weeks and you will not have to wait for it!!!! I know I can't....:)

"...“I empathize with your skepticism, but I don’t agree with it. I just think you've been looking for God in the wrong places.”

“I suppose that you’re going to tell me where you think I should look.”

“You’ll find God in the same place you’re going to find salvation from this mess,” Wit said. “Inside the hearts of men.”

“Curiously,” ..... said, “I believe I can actually agree with that, though I suspect for different reasons than you imply.”..."

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Now I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!!!...more

I find myself having put off writing this review for a few weeks now. I am still at a loss for words. How do I deliver an appraisal of a book so mind-bogglingly fantastic that anything I write will fall short of conveying the joy of reading it? Words of Radiance might as well be my description of this book and not the title.

WOR, being the second book in a ten book series called The Stormlight Archives, picks up right where The Way of Kings left off but does so at a faster pace. Where TWOK wasI find myself having put off writing this review for a few weeks now. I am still at a loss for words. How do I deliver an appraisal of a book so mind-bogglingly fantastic that anything I write will fall short of conveying the joy of reading it? Words of Radiance might as well be my description of this book and not the title.

WOR, being the second book in a ten book series called The Stormlight Archives, picks up right where The Way of Kings left off but does so at a faster pace. Where TWOK was a slow burn towards an amazing climax, WOR definitely has a faster burning fuse with an ending that surpasses the former by weight of sheer jaw-dropping moments.

And those moments?

They.

Were.

Astonishing.

The Way of Kings rocked your boat? That rocking was just a slight vibration. It was the tremor of the water in the glass, the promise of something to come, and this book heralds the arrival and the full ROAR of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

E-freaking-lectrifying. Yup. I’m making words up now. Maybe if I just found a shardplate helmet, threw in the words ambitious, grandeur, astounding, magnificence, stunning, masterly, extraordinary and blended them all together with a dash of stormlight, it would form the word that would start to give you an idea of the wonder of Words of Radiance.

Brandon Sanderson just BROUGHT IT and dropped the mic before walking offstage.

I should be worried for the rest of the series, as I cannot seeing him topping this, but then, he has already proven me wrong with this book.

Go ahead and read this, you won’t be sorry. And if you find yourself nearing the end of the book and you are shouting and jumping and pointing towards the pages with exclamations of “HOLY GUACAMOLE BATMAN DID YOU JUST SEE THAT?!?!?!? “, just know that somewhere out there I am nodding my head and saying “I told you so!”

I mean, Sanderson always puts the word "Epic" in "Epic Fantasy" and at over 750 pages...this is EPIC.

I LOVED the last book, I loved this one as well. If you like Sanderson you'll love it, if you don't...well, this is definitely Sanderson! The same amazing characters continue from the last book, some Game of Thrones-type twists that are shocking as well, and as always, the lore and magic system RULE. Shallan continues to be an amazing character, and the growth of her abilities go into HELLA coolI mean, Sanderson always puts the word "Epic" in "Epic Fantasy" and at over 750 pages...this is EPIC.

I LOVED the last book, I loved this one as well. If you like Sanderson you'll love it, if you don't...well, this is definitely Sanderson! The same amazing characters continue from the last book, some Game of Thrones-type twists that are shocking as well, and as always, the lore and magic system RULE. Shallan continues to be an amazing character, and the growth of her abilities go into HELLA cool territory.

One thing: There's something vaguely disquieting about the class system and weird racism in this book, with the "light-eyes" and the Parshmen, that I can't put my finger on, anyone else feel that?...more

I am so sorry with how this review is like three weeks late! November just got so overwhelming for me with trips and other things, but I’m here now and happily ready to yell at you all about how this series is Brandon Sanderson’s magnum opus!

“Words are where most change begins.”

This is book two of The Stormlight Archive series. It has multiple points of view, but every one of the characters will somehow weasel their way inside of your heart. Like, I know I’m probab1.) The Way of Kings ★★★★★

I am so sorry with how this review is like three weeks late! November just got so overwhelming for me with trips and other things, but I’m here now and happily ready to yell at you all about how this series is Brandon Sanderson’s magnum opus!

“Words are where most change begins.”

This is book two of The Stormlight Archive series. It has multiple points of view, but every one of the characters will somehow weasel their way inside of your heart. Like, I know I’m probably getting “too old” to say this, but Adolin Kholin is the ultimate book boyfriend and Jasnah Kholin is the ultimate book girlfriend and my little bi heart is so thirsty happy while reading this story.

Also, one thing I haven’t seen anyone say who reviews this series: this series totally has a love triangle and I’m living for it? I mean, you obviously know what team I’m on from my statement above, but there is so much tension between three of the main characters of this story! I love this dynamic so much, and I’m so impressed that Brandon Sanderson pulled off, seemingly, the perfect love triangle.

But moving on, this book picks right up where The Way of Kings left off. I want this review to be spoiler free, so I’m just going to give you guys an idea of what this story and world are like. But I can’t emphasize enough how amazing, atmospheric, and impressive this world and story are.

This is high fantasy at its finest, which means a lot of world building, but it’s so expertly done. Roshar is so unique and so complexly written. From the Shattered Plains, where the Parshendi are trying to decide what to do for the good of their people who are wanted for killing a king. To Shinovar, which is protected by a mountain range where the people known as Shins live. To Alethkar, the largest kingdom on Roshar and where our main story happens! And it is divided into ten mini kingdoms, that are self-governed. This world is beyond expansive, is what I’m trying to say!

And this series has…. a lot of different races: (Amazing fan art by: Botanicaxu)

Oh, and we can’t forget about Spren! Who, in this world are magical little companion beings that come in a variety of different types, but only bond with those who are worthy.

“Honor is dead. But I'll see what I can do.”

And then throw in the magical Shardblades, Shardplate, and Soulcasting! Plus we have the magical Highstorms that are happening on this planet, that the people use to charge gemstones!

Needless to say, there is a lot going on in this story. I mean, each book is over 1,000 pages and Brandon Sanderson doesn’t hold back with the information. If you’d like a better break down of this world and these characters, please check out my review of The Way of Kings where I’m super long winded but way more informative.

And I say this a lot, but Brandon Sanderson truly writes the best prologues and epilogues in the fantasy genre, and I’ll stand by that forever or when I’m finally proven wrong. But, Lord, did he outdo himself with the epilogue of this book. This book evoked every emotion from me, and still chokes me up while I’m writing this review three weeks after finishing. The only word I can use is perfection, because it truly is that.

Also, Wit is the best character of all time. And Sly’s a close second.

“Expectation. That is the true soul of art. If you can give a man more than he expects, then he will laud you his entire life. If you can create an air of anticipation and feed it properly, you will succeed.”

You can say what you want about Brandon Sanderson, but he proves over and over that he truly is the king of epic fantasy. I loved this book. I love this series. I truly think this is Brandon Sanderson’s best work. I implore and encourage every single one of my high fantasy lovers to give this series a try. This book is nothing short of amazing and is easily one of my favorite books of all time.

I don't know what was more intimidating, the size of Words of Radiance when I first beheld it, or the thought of having to write the review when I finished. I took me about seven days to read this giant tome, and then five more just to let everything sink in. So many emotions. So amazing. Even now, I don't know if I can completely separate my subjective feelings for this novel, simply because of the MAJOR soft spot I harbo5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...

I don't know what was more intimidating, the size of Words of Radiance when I first beheld it, or the thought of having to write the review when I finished. I took me about seven days to read this giant tome, and then five more just to let everything sink in. So many emotions. So amazing. Even now, I don't know if I can completely separate my subjective feelings for this novel, simply because of the MAJOR soft spot I harbor for this particular series. See, I wasn't always a fan of epic fantasy. I was the type to take one look at the page count and run the other way! Of course, that was before The Way of Kings became one of my favorite books. I guess you could say that I credit Brandon Sanderson and that book for being my gateway into this genre, and I've always been glad for that.

To finally read Words of Radiance was like fist-pumping excitement and all my restless giddiness rolled into one. In this second volume, the world of The Stormlight Archive becomes even more incredible and captivating. My favorite thing about Sanderson's stories are his magic systems, and I know everyone always says that but I don't care! It bears saying again because it's true. Here I thought he was done laying down the ground rules for his world's magic in The Way of Kings, but clearly he was just getting started. It's actually getting so elaborate that part of me is beginning to worry this could become too confusing before long. But if you love Surgebinding, rest assured the storyline continues to build upon basic principles regarding stormlight and its uses in the various types of surges. When it comes to beefing up his magic systems, Sanderson never ceases to amaze.

I've also noticed he has a way of writing inherently good people in the roles of main protagonists. This certainly applies to the important characters here -- Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Adolin, etc. -- all decent folks with decent intentions, natural leaders who always in the end succeed. It took tension out of the story at times, but it's also nice to feel exultant when a character gets ahead. That said, there were still plenty of twists and a couple of big surprises in this book, and of course when bad things happened, the impact of those setbacks felt all the more powerful. Sanderson knows how to pull me in and make me care, even when it comes to his more minor characters.

But what I really didn't expect was how things turned around when it came to the major ones. Kaladin pretty much made the first book for me, so I was shocked to see that his chapters in this one failed to hold my attention the same way. Kaladin himself, the ex-soldier and former bridgeman who has become a Knight Radiant, spirals into self-pity, anger, and impulsion because of his new powers and responsibilities, and I just didn't like the man he was for most of this book. On the other hand, Shallan (who didn't really impress me in The Way of Kings) comes into her own, literally becoming a new woman.

While Kaladin shrank into himself, Shallan branched out, becoming more adventurous and daring. Every time the story focused on her again, I was completely rapt, drawn into her research and personal journey to find the mythical city of Urithuru. I was also impressed by the way Sanderson handled her different relationships with other characters, especially the surprising one developing between her and Adolin. There's no question, Words of Radiance is where Shallan steals the show and gets a lot more of her background filled in, plus the illustrations of "her drawings" do add so much to the narrative (and I agree, Shallan, Adolin is totally *sigh*). I just have to cheer for a fellow artist too, you understand.

As for the story, what can I say? It's moving along, and in a big way. Everything is now converging in on the Shattered Plains, with all the main characters and their plot threads finally weaving together to become more cohesive. There's a countdown to something huge, and while this is the main source conflict in the novel, I like how the side themes continue to play a role. Factors like the infighting between the Highprinces or the social class disparities between Lighteyes and Darkeyes or humans and parshmen only add to the immersion and world building.

I have to say that with Sanderson, you don't often get "epicness for the sake of being epic". Others may disagree, of course, but all I know is with 1000+ pagers like these I always tend to forget a lot due to information overload. However, three and a half years after The Way of Kings, I still find myself remembering almost all the details of Roshar, of its peoples and cultures, lore and magic, the different creatures and spren. My memory's not the best either, so the fact I can remember even the little things means that they really stuck with me, and that simply does not happen with fluff or filler. It tells me the details in The Stormlight Archive are there for a reason, and not just to pad a book. Even the Interludes, which I don't really care for, I can still appreciate because something tells me they will be important at a later stage.

Honestly, sometimes I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that I'll probably be well into my fifth decade by the time the last book of this vast, sweeping series comes out. It's an accepted reality for epic fantasy fans I'm sure, but you can bet your spheres that I'm in this one for the long haul. Premature as it is to say, but I think things are shaping up real nicely, and if you enjoyed the first book then picking up this one will be a must as well. Needless to say, Words of Radiance gets 5 hearty stars from me. Really, was there ever any doubt?...more

Words of Radiance is the spectacular 2nd book in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy series, the Stormlight Archive is it! The world of Roshar keeps getting bigger and bigger (and, at the same time, more interesting). Words of Radiance picks up right where Way of Kings ended, and like the first book it is a fun and satisfying journey. The book will answer many of the questions you had after finishing Way of Kings while, of course, raising completely newWords of Radiance is the spectacular 2nd book in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy series, the Stormlight Archive is it! The world of Roshar keeps getting bigger and bigger (and, at the same time, more interesting). Words of Radiance picks up right where Way of Kings ended, and like the first book it is a fun and satisfying journey. The book will answer many of the questions you had after finishing Way of Kings while, of course, raising completely new questions. I’ve already reread this monster of a book (1,087 pages), but I’ll need to be patient. Some questions need to remain unanswered, I suppose, at least until Oathbringer comes out! ...more

Jesting aside, the title of the book does pretty much sum up the magnificence of this sequel to The Way of Kings. It should be the paragon of excellence by which all sequels should hold themselves to as it was the best second book of a series that I've ever read.

If you have read my love letter to The Stormlight Archive, you would know that I pretty much adore everything about The Way of Kings - the characterisation, the worldbuilding, and even the minimal pWords. Of. Radiance.- End of review -

Jesting aside, the title of the book does pretty much sum up the magnificence of this sequel to The Way of Kings. It should be the paragon of excellence by which all sequels should hold themselves to as it was the best second book of a series that I've ever read.

If you have read my love letter to The Stormlight Archive, you would know that I pretty much adore everything about The Way of Kings - the characterisation, the worldbuilding, and even the minimal plot progression, given the significant portion of the book dedicated to the former. Words of Radiance took every element which I loved in the first book and enhanced it beyond my imagination.

Character development remains at the forefront of the narrative. While The Way of Kings can be called Kaladin's book, Words of Radiance is Shallan's. Her story finally converged with the main plotline occurring on the Shattered Plains. The flashback chapters in this volume deal with Shallan's poignant backstory which shaped her to be the person she is now. Truth be told, I am not much of a fan of Shallan even while being empathetic to her circumstances. She has always struck me as "trying too hard," and the nature of her character is not one which I can readily stand by.

Hardcover endpaper of Shallan by Michael Whelan. Also available in the latest trade paperback release.

Kaladin remains as the highlight of the book for me; the path that his arc took was what made this volume amazing and solidified his status as my favourite fantasy character. He is honourable and badass, and yet frustratingly stubborn and petulant. His characterisation is compellingly realistic, especially for one who suffers from depression and PTSD having been through what he did. Before he can soar, he is thrown into the chasms – again! It made his transformation into the man he wants to be, and not the wretch he feared, even more glorious. Kaladin practically owned all the most epic scenes in Words of Radiance.

Honor is dead. But I'll see what I can do.

Nonetheless, Kaladin's story is not complete without Bridge Four. The strength of friendship and bond between the bridgemen, their honour and compassion despite former enslavement, and their unquestionable loyalty and respect for their leader form the most captivating and emotionally powerful arc in this series so far.

Dalinar has less POV chapters in this book, unfortunately; his presence has been somewhat usurped by his son, Adolin, whose development in this volume is almost as compelling as that of Kaladin's. What I loved most from these multiple and alternating POVs was being able to understand how these men view each other.

A substantial part of the lore on the Heralds and the Knights Radiant remain obscured or lost. However, more has been revealed around the Voidbringers and magic system. There is a better understanding about sprens, shards, and surgebinding, notably for the orders of the Windrunner, Lightweaver and to a lesser extent, Edgedancer. With these revelations, though, further questions arose as anticipation and speculations abound. There is also a higher level of intrigue surrounding the existence and agendas of various secret factions or organisations; all working towards what appears to be a common goal of saving humanity but using diverging methods – some less desirable than others.

I used to moan and groan whenever I reach the Interludes, eager to get back into the story. Rereading made me appreciate how Sanderson incorporated the necessary worldbuilding that would have otherwise been compromised, as the bulk of the main narrative took place on the Shattered Plains. It's from these chapters that we get to know about the rich and diverse races of the people of Roshar. More crucial is, of course, the storyline around the Parshendis - a most unusual and intriguing non-human race, the primary foe of the Alethi forces.

Aside from improved pacing, the critical action scenes are well spaced out in this instalment. And they are seriously epic! Like any climax of a Sanderson book, the last ten percent was heart-poundingly fantastic. The momentous events leading to the jaw-droppingly epic final battle made me cry and fist-pump and cheer like a madwoman.

So far, Sanderson has avoided cliff-hanger endings with each volume being wrapped up as well as it could be. Regardless, it will be difficult to avoid That Storming Hangover, of which no other fantasy novel can cure. At least that was clearly the case for me.

Expectation. That is the true soul of art. If you can give a man more than he expects, then he will laud you his entire life. If you can create an air of anticipation and feed it properly, you will succeed.

Rest assured, Brandon Sanderson has succeeded. Words of Radiance exceeded all my expectations even though it was sky-high after The Way of Kings. With only two books in the series of ten, The Stormlight Archive has set itself apart as my favourite heroic epic fantasy, unfinished as it is; the epitome of what I love so much about this genre.

While this ambitious series is far from being finished, I will nonetheless highly recommend all lovers of fantasy to pick up these books now! Don't worry that you will forget what had happened when a new book is released, you will want to keep rereading them.

NB #1: When the mass paperback edition was being released, Sanderson made a small change to a scene towards the end of the book to maintain what he deemed to be a more consistent arc to a central character. This update did not, however, in any way change the ending nor the outcome of the impacted scene.

The updates have been reflected in the Kindle version, both the mass market and latest trade paperbacks, and the Graphic Audio.

Sanderson's explanation is in the link below which will contain spoilers so only click on it if you've finished the book. There are threads on this topic on 17thShard.com and reddit as well. https://brandonsanderson.com/three-st...

NB #2: It is preferable to have read Warbreaker before Words of Radiance to maximise the experience due to the appearance of cross-over characters.

My third reading and this was as spectacular as it was the first time. Last 20% of this book is pure gold. Magnificent!!

My first five star book of the year and this book has set the standard so high for all the other fantasy books that am planning to read this year. This book is a page turner, has a really amazing world, and just awesome magic system.

the story starts with Shallan and Jasnah on their way to Shattered Plains but something bad happens on the ship. Now Shallan has only "Pattern"My third reading and this was as spectacular as it was the first time. Last 20% of this book is pure gold. Magnificent!!

My first five star book of the year and this book has set the standard so high for all the other fantasy books that am planning to read this year. This book is a page turner, has a really amazing world, and just awesome magic system.

the story starts with Shallan and Jasnah on their way to Shattered Plains but something bad happens on the ship. Now Shallan has only "Pattern" to help her to reach Shattered Plain. On this journey she rediscover herself and her powers. Shallan plays an important role in the discovery of Urithiru, lost city of Knight Radiants. Sanderson has transformed Shallan from a shy and scared girl of Way of Kings to a very cunning and opportunistic girl here. And finally some questions were answered about Shallan's past and it was easier to understand why Shallan is the kind of girl she is now.

Kaladin is now Captain of Dalinar's personal guard, a duty which he takes very seriously. Beside that he is also doing his best to convert Dalinar's remaining bridgemen into soldiers, teaching them about battle and discipline. I liked Kaladin but sometimes he just irritated me so much with his whining but I thoroughly enjoyed his bantering with Adolin. All the three battles that he was a part of were mesmerizing . But to me Kal was better in WoK.

Dalinar and Adolin are the other main characters after Shallan and Kal. I just loved Dalinar in this edition as much as i loved him in WoK. He is trying so hard to save Alethkar and the world from the return of voidbringers and only few people believe him. but as the saying goes, "fortune favors the brave", he holds his own in the midst of Shallan and Kal which is just amazing considering the powers of these two. I didn't like Adolin in Wok. To me he was a proud prince who didn't give much thought to other people feelings but everything changed in this book. He is more down to earth now after (view spoiler)[Sadeas's betrayal (hide spoiler)] and very likable.

We get to know more about Parshendis and their Gods because of Eshonai and Rlain. I liked how Sanderson presented them as good and bad and made Dalinar believe that not all Parshendis are bad. Also interludes were full of information and more questions.

Sanderson's writing was good but its the characters that impressed me most in this book. As always magic is awesome and am ignoring one or two things that annoyed me because of that . ...more

So I read this book so long ago and never wrote a review. Words won't suffice the way I feel about this book, I have been reading for a long time and this book is THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ IN MY LIFE. Seriously.. Nothing will ever compare to this series & I will wait everyday in suspense for book 3. Hurry the fuck up please KING SANDERSON I need more.

I have a new favorite book, and it’s this one! Words of Radiance was powerful and moving and epic in both size and scope. There is absolutely no negative feedback I could give this book. I know I had some friends that were disappointed in how long it took me to read this, and the fact that I paused and read a few other books. But there’s a reason for that! When I truly love a story with all of my heart, I don’t want to the book I’m reading to end. So I’ll put it down and rFull review now posted!

I have a new favorite book, and it’s this one! Words of Radiance was powerful and moving and epic in both size and scope. There is absolutely no negative feedback I could give this book. I know I had some friends that were disappointed in how long it took me to read this, and the fact that I paused and read a few other books. But there’s a reason for that! When I truly love a story with all of my heart, I don’t want to the book I’m reading to end. So I’ll put it down and read something else for a while, giving myself a reason to stretch out my stay in the world I don’t want to leave. And that’s what I did here. This book is huge, even bigger than The Way of Kings. My “little” mass-marked paperback is 1310 pages long. Its basically a colorful brick. But it never felt like it dragged; in fact, I would’ve been completely happy with another thousand pages.

Since I was young, I have loved the fantasy genre with all of my heart. It transports you in a way nothing else does, in my opinion. And no series has ever transported me and enthralled me quite as much as the Stormlight Archive. The world Sanderson has built here is the most unique I have ever read. The flora and fauna are completely unique from our world. The magic system (like all of Sanderson’s magic systems) is vast and varied and well fleshed-out while still retaining an air of mystery, and the religion of the land ties into that remarkably well. All of the world-building is beyond compare, but what makes this series truly shine are Sanderson’s characters.

Some of my very favorite fantasies have focused mainly on the lives of single individuals. Harry Potter, Kvothe, Ender Wiggins, Locke Lamora, Percy Jackson, Thomas Hunter, Errol Stone, Karou, Meg Corbyn, Mercy Thompson, Bilbo Baggins, and many more (though fewer female characters than I’d like, since I can’t make myself include Katniss or Tris) have been the nearly complete focus of their stories, and I love that. But a lot of fantasies now are choosing to focus on more and more perspectives. Which is completely fine, I just end up picking favorites. In A Song of Ice and Fire, I prefer reading about Tyrion and Danaerys and Arya and Bran than I do Cersei or Jaime or the other Starks. Picking favorites just happens. But so far, that is most definitely not the case with the Stormlight Archive. Every perspective is fantastic, and every character carries their weight in the story. I never caught myself counting the pages until I got back to one of my favorite characters, because they’re all my favorites! And each character has grown so much since being introduced in the first book (which was amazing in its own right, but this one blew it out of the water) that I couldn’t wait to see what new decisions they made and how they changed. I’ve grown really attached to just about every character in the vast cast Sanderson has assembled. There’s determination, despair, romance, hatred, philosophy, stupidity, and humor. A lot of humor!

Another thing I love about Sanderson is that the man knows how to write an ending. The last two hundred pages or so were intense. There was an insane amount of action, character breakthroughs, discoveries, plot twists, new appearances and reappearances. Also, this book begins tying threads of the Cosmere together, which was SO MUCH FUN to read! There were threads in The Way of Kings, but Words of Radiance brought those a bit more to the reader’s attention and built on them further. Sanderson’s creation of the Cosmere is incredibly ambitious, and I can’t wait to see how everything comes together. Which is more than likely going to take decades. But with his work ethic and imagination, I’m excited about the future of the Cosmere instead of despairing of the long road ahead. And good news; the third volume of the Stormlight Archive, Oathbringer, is set to release this November, so we have another installment to look forward to soon!

I had made a last-minute decision to re-read this epic series on the strength of the third book coming out a few days ago and far from being overwhelmed (much), I was actually knocked over. :)

I think what I most liked about this one was the characterizations. Shallan has come so damn far, but compared to the first book, it's a toss-up who has gone farther. Kaladin or her. I mean, just in terms of personal growth rather than outright power, it's head-to-head. I love it. That's noRe-read 11/26/17:

I had made a last-minute decision to re-read this epic series on the strength of the third book coming out a few days ago and far from being overwhelmed (much), I was actually knocked over. :)

I think what I most liked about this one was the characterizations. Shallan has come so damn far, but compared to the first book, it's a toss-up who has gone farther. Kaladin or her. I mean, just in terms of personal growth rather than outright power, it's head-to-head. I love it. That's not to say that outright crazy powers don't manifest because they do. In spades.

Shallan's quest to the Broken Plains is the most surprising and delightful and I think I'll say that most of the novel is made gorgeous by it. Kaladin's being torn apart by conflicting promises, compounded by his powers being locked in his honor, felt more like a tragedy until much later. His story made me whoop in delight at the climax. What a damn blow-out!!!

Talk about a big battle, big events, mind-blowing situation, right?

If I'm going to compare the two books, like-to-like, it's really hard to say which one I like more. The first book was more solid throughout and I suppose I like the Bridgeman-made-good story better than the Bridgeman-falling-into-tragedy, but by the end, none of that matters. The total satisfaction quotient for the second novel might be more than the first. :)

I'm so glad I did this re-read. I'm getting really attached to all these guys and I might seriously want to rank the series up there with WoT in my personal favorites list. :)

Honestly, this epic fantasy is resting high with a small handful of my personal favorites already and the future is very, very bright. I can't wait to dive into the third book for the first time, now!

Original review:

I had been waiting a long time for this second book, having been hook deeply by the end of the first oh so long ago. The despair and subsequent revelations were present in both, but this one was all about the greater story development. Characterizations developed wonderfully and at relative right angles to how they began, but the surprises were truly satisfying. If you want an epic, then here it is. Both novels are very long and a lot happens. It never gets boring.

Sanderson's talents at creating magic systems that are truly unique are still in full force, as is his ability to tell a great tale.

Cognition made into intelligent spirits, gods of thought, the binding of ideals; put like this, it's amazing that he could make a book that was about war and saving humanity from a truly world-breaking intelligent storm. Great stuff!...more

Shallan needs to fuck off not be in this series. She was the only reason i couldn't give this absolutely fantastic book 5 stars. On the bright side at least we got her out of the way. Can't wait for Oathbringer AKA Dalinar's book. Anyone knows when we are getting Szeth's?

The Stormlight Archive is a series, I have found, that is a love hate sort of thing. Either you love it, or you hate it. I’ve never talked to anyone that was anywhere in the middle. The first book, The Way of Kings, was hugely popular, making the top ten on the New York Times bestseller list, and has spawned its own little island in the vast ocean of fandom. But there have also been a lot of criticisms ofWords of RadianceBook 2 of the Stormlight ArchiveBy Brandon Sanderson

A Review by Eric Allen

The Stormlight Archive is a series, I have found, that is a love hate sort of thing. Either you love it, or you hate it. I’ve never talked to anyone that was anywhere in the middle. The first book, The Way of Kings, was hugely popular, making the top ten on the New York Times bestseller list, and has spawned its own little island in the vast ocean of fandom. But there have also been a lot of criticisms of it, and I will admit, that many of them are valid. Sanderson was under huge time constraints to get The Way of Kings out. He spent the better part of a year working on The Wheel of Time, and then cranked this massive tome out in a scant three or four months, almost completely rewriting the entire story from scratch over a previous draft of the book when it came time to publish one of his own. Is it any wonder that it wasn’t perfect? I’m just amazed that he managed to complete and publish not one, but TWO pretty good 1000+ page books in a single year. The stress from undertaking such a monumental task must have been epic, and for that, I can, and did, forgive many of the first book’s smaller issues. The world and the characters were entertaining, compelling and engaging, and promised of a fantastic series yet to come. There may be minor spoilers ahead, nothing too terrible though, you’ve been warned.

The world is in chaos due to the rampage of the Assassin in White taking out the ruling bodies of every single major nation. Shallan and Jasnah set out for the Shattered Plains with vital information about the Voidbringers, and a mission to seek out Urithiru, the lost and forgotten home of the Knights Radiant, which might hold keys to surviving the coming Desolation. But tragedy strikes along the way, and Shallan finds herself alone, broken by her past in ways she refuses to admit to herself, and with the weight of saving the world resting on her shoulders.

Meanwhile, Dalinar has taken control of the war against the Parshendi, exerting his authority over all ten of the war camps in the name of putting a swift and decisive end to the war once and for all. But his is the next name on the Assassin in White's target list, not to mention the hit lists of a whole host of others. His own friends and allies see him as the power behind the throne, and seek to remove that power, claiming it for themselves.

Kaladin must come to terms with his new place in the world, reconciling his desires for vengeance and justice with the ideals of honor that he must uphold if he is to keep his newfound powers as a Surgebinder. He chafes under his Lighteyes masters, and wishes to change the world, but he can’t see a way to do it while satisfying Syl’s requirements that he remain honorable.

Dalinar has received a warning. In 67 days, the end will come. He gathers power and allies, building a huge army to set out into the center of the Shattered Plains to stop whatever is coming, but the Parshendi have other plans. The Voidbringers have returned. The final Desolation has fallen upon the land, and the Heralds have forsaken their oaths to prepare mankind for it.

The Good? I don’t think that there is a single character in this entire series that I dislike. That is very rare in a work of fiction. There’s always at least one that I just can’t stand. But here, I find all of the characters likeable, interesting, and compelling. They all have their different abilities, personalities, problems and goals, and their interactions with each other are well written and feel natural. They all learn and grow as people over the course of the book.

Sanderson has outdone himself in the creation of the world in which this series takes place. It is beautiful, vivid, and alien, with a deep, rich history that is full of myth, legend, and mystery. It is very rare that an author is able to create a world that is so different from our own, yet feels so natural and realistic.

Shallan actually has a purpose in this book. This was my biggest gripe about the first book. Shallan, obviously an important character, was introduced too soon in the series, in my opinion. She does hugely important things in this book, and looks like she will continue to do them in future volumes, however, she basically just took up space in the first book. She didn’t do anything that justified how much of the page count that she took up. To use an example from another series that is near and dear to both my heart, and that of the author, it is as if in the first book of The Wheel of Time, Min and Elayne, two HUGELY important characters, kept having chapters about what they’re doing in their daily lives tossed in here and there throughout the rest of the book after they received their introductions. These characters didn’t do anything important for the rest of that book, and so, they were left out of it. It’s the same with Shallan, she didn’t do anything else really important to justify taking up 30% of the page count of the book that couldn’t have been done better and faster at the beginning of this one. Introducing her at all in the first book was a dubious decision in my opinion, as the events on her side of the world were so far removed from everything else happening in the book. She was extremely out of place, and broke up the pacing of the rest of the book. I really enjoy her as a character, don’t think I’m just picking on her because I hate her personality. That’s not the problem. She just didn’t really need to be in that book for any real reason except to keep it from being a gigantic sausage fest. Which, admittedly, without her presence, it would have been. But, you can also remove every chapter about her from the book and not even notice. And when you can remove something from a book without noticing it's missing, it probably didn't belong there in the first place, or it needed more of a bridge between it and the rest of the book.

In my opinion, the beginning of Words of Radiance is where Shallan should have been introduced. Her storyline from the previous book and the beginning of this one could very easily have been condensed into this one. I understand that she is an important character later on, people DO NOT need to keep telling me this. That’s not the problem. It’s just that book 2 is where she actually had something to contribute to the plot, so why did she take up 1/3 of the first book too? I’m a big believer in characters not taking up space until they have something relevant to contribute to the plot. No matter how entertaining and well written she might be, she still had no business taking up so much space in The Way of Kings. In a chat with Sanderson at a book signing he told me that this book was originally going to be about Dalinar’s past. But when reviews of The Way of Kings began coming in and asking about Shallan's relevance, even he realized that she was a little too far removed from the main plot of the series, and decided to change things around and make the second book her story. That way we all know and understand her importance early on, and it better ties her in with the rest of what’s going on. So there. Even the author himself agrees with me. Quit whining at me and trying to change my mind on her storyline’s relevance to the plot first book already people!!! I'm not buying it, and I never will. You're just wasting your effort.

The fight and battle scenes in this book are amazing. They’re very well thought out and put together. In his early career, Sanderson used to be pretty terrible at writing action. He has VASTLY improved. His fight scenes are now tense, exciting, and dramatic, adding in some really epic moments of character development as characters show off how incredibly awesome they can be. I always love seeing an author learn and grow as a writer. All too often they don't improve, or actually take a few steps backwards in skill, or get arrogant and lazy. But not good old Brandon Sanderson. Every book he publishes is better written than the last, and I hope he continues to improve upon his considerable skills for many years to come.

Words of Radiance DOES NOT succumb to second volume syndrome. All of the questions and mysteries left by the first book are addressed, either in answering them, or by building upon them to deepen the mystery. Things actually happen. Characters come to huge, life-changing realizations about themselves, and the world around them, and the story moves on to the next level. There is a sense of something having been accomplished and the story and characters having progressed. Unlike a certain other popular second novel in a fantasy series that I may have given a terrible review to, which did none of these things.

I know that a lot of people had issues with the interludes in the first book. It was a common complaint that they took up a lot of space, and weren’t really all that relevant to what was going on, making a long book longer to little point or purpose. However, I found them highly enjoyable. There is a LOT of world building that went into this series, and Sanderson has found a way to show us important aspects of the world, the various peoples, and other such things, without having the characters sit around and talk about things that they already know for our benefit, or tell us forever long parables and allegorical stories as I may have highly criticized another popular fantasy author for doing. The interludes show us a few of the small, fun details that make Roshar so interesting, in a creative and refreshing way. They make the world come alive in a way that would otherwise be impossible. I would certainly not advise skipping any of them, as I've seen some people suggest, as many of them, in this book, are more tied in with what is going on, or help tie things in with other books in Sanderson's Cosmere. Eshonai's interludes are especially important to the story, and skipping them takes away greatly from the story itself.

There are several fan service moments added in for fans of Sanderson's other works, which are fun nods at his previous books, and better show how they all take place in the same universe as parts of a much larger story.

The Bad? Book 3 probably won’t be out for another two years or so. That’s a long time for Roshar to be poised on the edge of destruction, waiting for the axe to fall. I eagerly await the next volume, but I'm also eagerly awaiting Steelheart 2, The Rithmatist 2, Elantris 2, Warbreaker 2 and The Alloy of Law 2, so hey, whatever he decides to work on next before Stormlight 3, I'll be happy with it.

And, I suppose, if you did not enjoy the first book because of the frequent flashbacks and interludes as many people seemed to have, you’re probably not going to like this one. It’s a tighter story, it has an element of tension that the first book did not have with a countdown to disaster, and all of the characters make actual contributions to the main storyline of the book. The climax is about 1000 times more epic than that of the first book, and all of the mysteries are built upon and expanded. However, the flashbacks are still there, detailing Shallan's past this time, as are the interludes. These were excellent sources of character and world development in my opinion, but I have seen quite a few people complain about them as their main source of dislike in the first book. If you were giving the series one more try for a change of format, you may be disappointed, but then again, you may find yourself getting attached to the everything else that this series has to offer instead.

In conclusion, this was a great book. It has excellent characters that learn, grow and develop in a satisfactory and entertaining manner, a compelling world full of mystery and vivid lore that is rarely found in a work of fiction, and a story that keeps you guessing until the very end. It took everything that made the first book so great, polished it up, and made it even better, while fixing many of the smaller problems that I found in it, and adds in a note of dramatic tension that the first book did not have. I highly recommend it to any and all fans of epic fantasy, and to anyone who had trouble with the first book, I hope that you will give this series a second chance to see how the author has improved now that he doesn’t have the Wheel of Time taking up a huge chunk of his time and creative energy. I thought I had a pretty good idea where this series was going after the first book. Now, I have no idea. And I like that!

I should start by saying that this heifer took me right around ten months to finish with several periods of backburner status. Not that it wasn't good (the second half especially) but because it's such a big commitment! 1000+ pages! If my relationships with books were compared to romantic relationships, I'd be considered a huge hussy.

Bookxual Profile:1) I don't have the kind of patience a long book requires. A book with 500 pages is really pushing it for me. I'm more of a 450 max kind4ish stars.

I should start by saying that this heifer took me right around ten months to finish with several periods of backburner status. Not that it wasn't good (the second half especially) but because it's such a big commitment! 1000+ pages! If my relationships with books were compared to romantic relationships, I'd be considered a huge hussy.

Bookxual Profile:1) I don't have the kind of patience a long book requires. A book with 500 pages is really pushing it for me. I'm more of a 450 max kind of guy with an average page count closer to 325.2) I'm not the kind of person who can sit down and finish a book. I can typically read for about 30-60 minutes straight before my brain fritzes and my body twitches and I have to get up and do something else. It's a rough existence for someone who loves reading so much. 3) At any given time I am reading at least three books. One in print, one ebook, one on audio. At least. I can't read the same book for too long, regardless of how much I love it, without having a breakdown and switching to another book on the roster.4) I need the immediate gratification of seeing how much progress I've made after each reading session and how many fewer pages I have left until I'm done.

Basically I'm a selfish, inconsiderate reading douchebag with serious commitment issues who has no respect for the books I read. But I still love them...?

Based on all of that, the fact that I stuck around long enough to finish The Way of Kings is a miracle already. I still don't know how I did it again with WoR. Especially considering how I wasn't even that into the first half of this book.

This was kind of my "eh, why not" change-up audiobook that I would occasionaly space out to while listening and going for a run. This resulted in a six-month long hiatus. While I was waiting for an audiobook to become available from my library holds list, I decided to give this old gal a booty call and pick up where I left off. Finally at around the 24 hour mark (24 hours!) or half way, I became really interested. I started connecting with the characters more and became curious about what was going on and how things would play out. By the end I was pretty well hooked.

Long story short- I still have issues with the series. I know I'm in a vast minority but here they are:1) For such a mature book with so many dark themes, it's still the kind of book a middle-schooler would love. I know a lot of people who like it because of that, but I would have preferred this to be a bit more dark and twisted.2) Only a handful of characterizations are deep enough to be fascinating.3) I think there's a lot of filler and unnecessary length all in the name of epic. Gotta hit that 1000 page quota. 4) And, let's be honest, am I really supposed to think Shallan is clever?! Most of her jokes are the equivalent of "I know you are but what am I?" and "You smell bad tee hee." One of the few legitimately funny parts was when she was pretending to be a Horneater.

But! Despite all of this, I see the upside. I see more pros than cons. I see a future with the Stormlight Archives and I'm finally willing to settle down for the long haul and commit. Who knew?...more

I’m still lost for words about how to review this book. So I’ll just write anything that comes to my mind. This book was incredible, the world building, character development, writing style has lots of improvement from the first book and finally the amazing plot. I totally get why people love this book this much but I’m still torn between this and Mistborn, still don’t know which I love more, it’s a good thing I have a big heart to contain it all then. There is politics,religiSpoiler free review

I’m still lost for words about how to review this book. So I’ll just write anything that comes to my mind. This book was incredible, the world building, character development, writing style has lots of improvement from the first book and finally the amazing plot. I totally get why people love this book this much but I’m still torn between this and Mistborn, still don’t know which I love more, it’s a good thing I have a big heart to contain it all then. There is politics,religion,diversity,racism,sexism and the lots in this book. I really love the politics and their games. As usual not one person get to carry the load of saving everyone but a group of individuals with really awesome powers. The magic system is one of a kind and I really love the idea of stormlight and spren. I'm so loving the ship,glad that its sailing,so hoping it doesn't sink.

World building and WritingThis is something Mr Sanderson is yet to disappoint me cause he always delivers. The world building is incredible with perfect depictions. The different parts of Roshar perfectly potrayed. The writing is easily comprehensible and there is no overuse of metaphors or any figures of speech. The story is told in multiple POVs of the MCs and other characters like Eshonai in the interludes.

Kaladin frowned. “Wait. Are you wearing cologne? In prison?”“Well, there was no need to be barbaric, just because I was incarcerated.”“Storms, you’re spoiled,” Kaladin said, smiling.“I’m refined, you insolent farmer,” Adolin said. Then he grinned. “Besides, I’ll have you know that I had to use cold water for my baths while here.”“Poor boy.”“I know.” Adolin hesitated, then held out a hand.

CharactersKaladin My favourite in this book, he is brooding and smouldering also kind and selfless, what more could we ask for? I love his relationship with everyone around him especially Syl, you just can’t mention Kaladin without Syl.I really like that he got to learn from his mistakes.He is also super handsome.

“That was very nicely done,” she said. “Perhaps I’ll keep you around this time.”“Thank you.”“You almost killed me, you realize.”“I realize. I thought I had.”“And?”“And . . . um . . . you are intelligent and articulate?”“You forgot the compliment.”“But I just said—”“Those were simple statements of fact.”“You’re wonderful,” he said. “Truly, Syl. You are.”“Also a fact,” she said, grinning. “But I’ll let it slide so long as you’re willing to present me with a sufficiently sincere smile.”He did.And it felt very, very good.

Dalinar Kholin Also known as the Blackthorn. Warlord turned politician. I like how dedicated he is to what he believes in to matter how it made him look,even though people called him insane he still went along with it, thankfully he came through.

Shallan really improved, her character development is just the best here and her back story made me understand her more, I barely tolerated her in the first book now I really like her.

Adolin Kholin is just wow, I really love his personality, even though he is spoilt and a major flirt, not to mention cocky,arrogant and hot headed he still cares for people around him, I like how him and Kaladin became friends despite the rocky start of how they met.

Szeth I felt bad for him at first but now I just don’t know, he is a great character but with lots of issues. I don’t hate him neither do I like him, but I gotta admire his amazing fighting skills.

PlotThe search for the radiance continues and the return of the voidbringers is super close. Dalinar is still trying to unite them, Kaladin is trying to keep Dalinar and his family alive while trying to embrace his powers completely. Shallan is searching for Urithiru the land of the radiants which is supposedly located at the shattered plains. There still have to overcome court politics, Szeth,Parshendis and a whole lot of other things....more

“For Oliver Sanderson, Who was born during the middle of the writing of this book, and was walking by the time it was done.”

Aww, I have never started a review with the book's dedication before, dedications are usually “read it and forget it” affairs, nice for the dedicatee, nothing to do with me. However, this one is charming and noteworthy in that I seldom consider how long it must take authors to write lengthy books. This dedication makes me appreciate the time and effort Brandon Sanderson put“For Oliver Sanderson, Who was born during the middle of the writing of this book, and was walking by the time it was done.”

Aww, I have never started a review with the book's dedication before, dedications are usually “read it and forget it” affairs, nice for the dedicatee, nothing to do with me. However, this one is charming and noteworthy in that I seldom consider how long it must take authors to write lengthy books. This dedication makes me appreciate the time and effort Brandon Sanderson puts into the creation of this book. The world building and attention to details in this book is mind boggling, the beautiful artworks scattered inside the book and the complex (but easy to follow) structure makes the book seems like a huge undertaking involving not just Sanderson but also the illustrator and probably a book designer, not to mention the publishing and marketing side of it. It seems almost unfair that I read this book in about three weeks but it took Sanderson over a year to write it. At 1328 pages for about 9 US Dollars the book is incredible value for money per page. That is if you place value in great epic fantasy books; I do, and this book is a bargain.

Words of Radiance is volume 2 of Sanderson’s ambitious Stormlight Archive series, which is projected to span ten similarly gigantic volumes. The main story arc concerns humanity’s struggle against a nonhuman* race called Parshendi who seek to destroy them for their own survival. The Parshendi are not evil per se, but there are forces at work which prevent the two races from living in peaceful coexistence.

As with most epics, the story is told from the perspective of several main characters in multiple plot strands. These main characters are the movers and shakers of Roshar, the world of this series. So we follow the adventures of Kaladin the Radiant knight with wind riding abilities, Shallan the scholar with eidetic memory and the ability to create illusions, High Prince Dalinar who receives visions from the gods and will do anything to save his people from destruction, and several others.Shallan

In spite of being a very long book, the narrative just flows and flows, it never grinds to a halt. This is not to say that it is relentlessly fast-paced the pace varies according to the needs of the scene being depicted; discussions, battles, ruminations, romance, bantering etc. all require different pacing to make the scenes work. Each plot strand has something of interest going on, there are no long dry passages of expositions, yet the world is complex and richly imagined. I only have one very minor complaint in that Sanderson's jokes seldom land for me, they are just generally too bland, and too safe; but at least some of them make did make me smile, and I appreciate the author for including some humour (even if it is too tame) to balance the more intense parts of the book.

Characterization is very important for this kind of book because we have to spend such a long time with the main characters and be invested in what they are doing. Sanderson spends a lot of time developing the characters, their strengths, and foibles. We get to know them very well by the end of the book and look forward to seeing them again. Kaladin still spends a little too much time moping and doubting himself, but there is much less of this than in the previous book, The Way of Kings.

“Magic system” is now a popular term among the modern fantasy fans. Nowadays the old school “Abracadabra!” conjuring trope just does not cut it anymore for many readers. Magic should have some kind of logical basis, cause and effect, it is equally impossible regardless of whether it is systematic, but the internal logic has to make sense for its application to be believable. Sanderson is probably the king of magic systems, if you read his Mistborn series you will know exactly what I mean. For the Stormlight Archive series magic is fueled by stormlight from the “high storms” that infuses gems and is used almost like electricity, for lighting and various purposes. The word technology even appears a few times, unusual for books in this genre.

Roshar is full of numerous bizarre life forms, quite a few of which are beautifully illustrated in the book. My favorites are the “sprens” which are like elemental spirits. A few of them are also very entertaining as characters. One is a Tinker Bell-like creature called Syl that follows Kaladin, and the other is called Pattern and is literally a living pattern that acts as Shallan’s very strange sidekick.

There is so much depth and details in this book that it is hard to write a readable, comprehensive review. The best I can do is ramble on as I have and make a strong recommendation to fantasy fans not to miss this mighty series. The third volume of this series is scheduled to be published around November. I'm on board for all ten books, providing the author does not jump the shark somewhere down the line.

* They are not aliens because they are just as indigenous to the world of Roshar as the humans.

• Opinions differ on this issue but, the way I see it, there is no need to firmly commit to reading all ten volumes, especially as the series will probably not be finished for another decade at least. As readers, we should just enjoy the journey and not worry too much about the destination. Each book so far wraps up quite nicely at the end, some major questions are answered, leading to intriguing new ones to be explored in the next installment.

• The fight scenes in this book are extremely well done, vividly depicted and pulse pounding.

• The paintings in the book (two of them shown above) are by the great Michael Whelan, the gray scale art by Dan dos Santos, there are also some amazingly detailed drawings by Ben McSweeney (not shown here).

“On an individual basis, in most interactions, this thing we call power—authority—exists only as it is perceived.”

“It’s not that you aren’t witty, Shallan. I just feel like you try too hard. The world is not a sunny place, and frantically trying to turn everything into a joke is not going to change that.”

“Using a fetching face to make men do as you wish is no different from a man using muscle to force a woman to his will, she’d said. Both are base, and both will fail a person as they age.”

“I like to learn to use the local weapons,” Mraize said. “It is a quirk, though I feel it is justified. If you want to understand a people, learn their weapons. The way men kill one another says far more about a culture than any scholar’s ethnography.”

”I guess I’m just waiting [for the thunder]. It always follows after the lightning. Sometimes you have to wait, but eventually it comes.”

If lightning struck in The Way of Kings, then Words of Radiance absolutely brought the thunder.

This is now my 7th Sanderson novel to make it unto my favourites shelf! Maybe 8th? I’m not too sure. But really, I expected nothing less with all the glowing ratings surrounding WoR. I expected a LOT and I got a LOT. And more. Words of Radiance DELIVERED.

Remember all the beautiful groundwork laid down in TWoK? Sanderson capitalizes on them, introduces even more, and takes it all to another level. He has so obviously structured the heck out of this series and no, I didn’t understand everything—I wasn’t supposed to—but everything felt like it just fit.

Like TWoK, Sanderson weaves the present with the past, moving the plot forward, but also emphasizing how our primary characters came to be. This time around, we get to learn Shallan’s backstory, and I can’t believe I’m about to write this because Kaladin is my precious, but I found her past even more intriguing than Kal’s!

The depth of Sanderson’s characterization is just phenomenal.

To paraphrase a famous fictional ogre. His characters are like onions.

They have layers.

Shallan was never a favourite and honestly, I sort of didn’t want to like her because of her big mouth, but her STORY! It is just wow. It completely blew my mind and my entire perception of her has changed for the better and I can’t wait to see what more we will get from her. Which is something I never thought I’d want, ha.

And while I think Shallan had a great outing, Kaladin is still the MAN.

He remains as my favourite character in this series— but Dalinar is a close second! —and generally, one of my favourites in the whole fantasy literature. Or any type of literature, really. With him being my metaphorical onion, I think it’s just fantastic how this book slowly peels back all his layers and we get to understand him more and see what’s inside, even as the gas makes us cry.

He has been built up so deeply, with his personality presented in such a raw and intimate manner, that I believe he is as intricate as his complex world.

And wow, was this book compelling. I thought TWoK was filled with page turner-ey goodness! But Words of Radiance cranks it up to dizzying heights. Very dizzying. Borderline heart-stopping page turner-ey goodness. Our characters face challenges from every direction and it’s crazy how my heart could go from 60 to 60 MILLION, all in the span of a paragraph.

WoR made me feel it all: happy, sad, furious, STRESSED, incredulous, betrayed, entertained, shocked, frenzied, and incredibly worried. And I’m not joking when I say that I very clearly remember the time that I slid off my chair and crumpled to the floor in complete despair while reading. Basically, I felt all the good stuff I want to feel with a book.

That reminds me, the character banter in this book was full on hilarious. Between that and the phenomenal situational humour the author implemented, this book left me in stitches on many occasions!

My only slight worry is the romance plot. So far, nothing feels forced or anything, but there are so many possible pairings down the road, that I can’t help but feel a little apprehensive. People have already started waging multiple ship wars, but I’m not yet captaining a vessel. I’m too horrified that someone will ruin Kaladin.

Sanderson really knows how to deliver an ending though. Like TWoK, the last 20% of this book provided some of the best reading experiences I’ve had in my life. Each turning of every page would take me through a rollercoaster of emotions, like from being terrified to being heartbroken to being doubly terrified. And that would just go on and on and on and oonnnn. Just an awesome ride!

I don't know what else to say except that Words of Radiance is a magnificent piece of art composed by a mad master. It is undeniably entertaining and undeniably brilliant. This is a series worth following until the end.

I have no idea how I'll make it until book 3, but I have no doubt in my mind that it will be worth the wait.

I buddy read this with a fantastic group of Sandersonites: Courtney, Petra, and Vippi.You girls made this so fun. Thanks for putting up with my crazy ramblings and conspiracy theories!

The Stormlight Archive series is probably my favourite fantasy series of the lot. It has everything I want in a story. Good worldbuilding, cool magic, great characters, and a fast paced action packed plot that has a little bit of everything.

The story held up well during this reread of mine and although I lost the impact of most of the shock twists and turns and some of the tension of the action scenes I was still fully engaged by the story and the characters and lot in the awesomeness that is tThe Stormlight Archive series is probably my favourite fantasy series of the lot. It has everything I want in a story. Good worldbuilding, cool magic, great characters, and a fast paced action packed plot that has a little bit of everything.

The story held up well during this reread of mine and although I lost the impact of most of the shock twists and turns and some of the tension of the action scenes I was still fully engaged by the story and the characters and lot in the awesomeness that is the Stormlight world!

As far as the characters go I felt like Dalinar had a fantastic outing. Dalinar is definitely one of my favourite Sanderson heroes. I was all set to add Adolin to the list of characters who had a fantastic second book but that twist right at the end ruined that. I was a little lukewarm on Adolin in Way of Kings but I felt he showed good growth over the course of this instalment and by the (near) end of this he had made a fan of me. The late twist has totally changed how I view him and how I feel about him overall in this book.

Shallan and Kaladin had super exciting story arcs and both got to show off their new powers plenty of times so reading their POV segments was always good but both did have moments where they managed to annoy me. Shockingly Kaladin was more to blame in that regard than Shallan. I love the guy but he can be so gloomy at times and since some of his choices were bad I spent a bunch of time worrying about Syl, another Stormlight favourite of mine!

We got a bunch of secondary POV characters, mostly through the interludes, and I liked the extra depth this offered to the world. The stand-out character was Taravangian. He is a fascinating guy and his story is shaping up to be as interesting as that of the first books stand-out secondary character, Szeth. Speaking about Szeth, I've gone off the guy a bit. His fanaticism is beginning to annoy me though his appearances continue to provide super intense and exciting moments as he is just so good at his job! I'm tempted to nominate (view spoiler)[Nightblood (hide spoiler)] as best secondary character but with only the few words to his credit I'll refrain from that for now.

I'm not keen on the developing love triangle between (view spoiler)[Shallan, Adolin, and Kaladin. I'm on the Kaladin/Syl ship already so I'm not keen on the idea of Shallan rocking the boat. Plus I quite like her with Adolin. I have a feeling Sanderson himself is leaning towards Kaladin and Shallan as the pairing or possibly Shallan not being interested enough in either guy! (hide spoiler)]

All in all this was a fantastic read and my reread has me super hyped for Oathbringer.

Rating: 5 stars.

Audio Note: This time around I went with the Graphic Audio. I love the regular audio team of Kramer and Reading but even they cannot compete with the excellent job done by the GA team. The full cast, the sound effects, and the dramatic music really do wonders in enhancing an already awesome story! ...more

On the whole, my life is pretty uneventful. I do normal human things with other normal humans, feeling normal human emotions.

But sometimes, rarely, a book swoops in and uproots my life with a ship for which I would actually die. My poor Fangirl heart bleeds for that ship. You may catch me curled up in my bed for days in the fetal position, obsessively rereading the best scenes.

That ship, my lovelies, was Kal & Shallan for me.

He saw it in her eyes. The anguish, the frustration. The terriblOn the whole, my life is pretty uneventful. I do normal human things with other normal humans, feeling normal human emotions.

But sometimes, rarely, a book swoops in and uproots my life with a ship for which I would actually die. My poor Fangirl heart bleeds for that ship. You may catch me curled up in my bed for days in the fetal position, obsessively rereading the best scenes.

That ship, my lovelies, was Kal & Shallan for me.

He saw it in her eyes. The anguish, the frustration. The terrible nothing that clawed inside and sought to smother her. She knew. It was there, inside. She had been broken. Then she smiled. Oh, storms. She smiled anyway. It was the single most beautiful thing he’d seen in his entire life.

Oh man. Oh gosh. Oh dear. Oh boy. OH BOY.

Reading Words of Radiance felt like Branderson stuck his hand right through my ribs, grabbed my heart, and said “I’m calling all the shots now, bitch.” I can say with certainty that my emotional stability is at his whim from now on. The angst, the drama, the beautiful banter between Kal and Shallan is EVERYTHING. In every regard they both match and complement each other. I swear if they’re not endgame all my life will have been for nothing.

So, if you’re looking for a reason to read the Stormlight Archive - do it for the emotional breakdown it’ll cause you!! I’ll be right there with ya 😉.

All the buildup and drama finally came to fruition in book 2 and made it much more exciting than the Way of Kings. Book 1 was really just an introduction and this installment is where the plot really gets going. It was nice moving forward with the story with a solid foundational knowledge of the world and characters.

I honestly did not think any book would top the 'Way of Kings' but I was mistaken! Words of Radiance represents the top echelon of epic fantasy, creative writing , worldbuilding and character development! I'm speechless and in complete awe of Sanderson's imagination and artistry. The second time re-reading/listening through audiobooks was so much better! It allows me to connect all the dots and all the subtleties hidden within the writing. It was almost like Impressions after 2nd time re-read

I honestly did not think any book would top the 'Way of Kings' but I was mistaken! Words of Radiance represents the top echelon of epic fantasy, creative writing , worldbuilding and character development! I'm speechless and in complete awe of Sanderson's imagination and artistry. The second time re-reading/listening through audiobooks was so much better! It allows me to connect all the dots and all the subtleties hidden within the writing. It was almost like solving a hard puzzle where I was able to find all the small pieces and fully develop the story and all of its connections. Simply put Words of Radiance is a brilliant masterpiece and my favorite book of all times! My original review follows below...

Full Review up..

5 BIG Stars!

" Where is our Honor? Honor is Dead."

STORMFATHER!!! There are times in my life where a handful of books have meant so much more to me, because they transcended its core literary value- and went beyond imagery, fantasy and enraptured me fully into the world and the story of the narrator. I believe Sanderson and his brilliant 'Word of Radiance' have accomplished this rare feat!

This book is a MASTERCLASS accomplishment in fantasy, in the likes of Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' series, and more recently GRRM 'A Game of Thrones' books. There... I said it!

I recognize I'm fairly late in joining the Stormlight saga, but after reading the brilliant 'The Way of Kings' couple months ago, I had set the bar so high for WoR, that it thrilled me to see this sophmore novel 'shatter' it's expectation ceiling!

The narrative picks up almost immediately after the conclusion of Way of Kings. If the first Stormlight book was mostly focused on the life, struggle and ascension of Kaladin, this book spends the majority of its focus on Shallan-and how important she becomes to the whole story.

Again, I'll emphatically say that KALADIN IS MY FAVORITE FANTASY CHARACTER OF ALL TIMES!! Sanderson digs deep down, and develops a character that is gloom, bitter and full of rage- but deep in his core Kaladin is a pure soul, filled with 'Stormlight'. Kaladin is so multi-dimensional and layered that only by the end of the book you get appreciate the full AWESOMENESS of his character.

His side-kick, the magic spren 'Syl' (a magic light in the likeness of a female) is a perfect counterbalance to his rage. As the story progresses, Syl not only becomes his truest of friends and confidants, but she integrates beautifully with Kaladin's powers in forging some of the most AMAZING action sequences that I've read in any fantasy book ever!!

The Action in Words of Radiance absolutely ROCKS! No spoilers, but there are at least 3 distinct action sequences in the book which are among the most compelling of any book ever written! There is not enough 'stormlight' to prepare you for the crescendo that Sanderson builds up in this wonderfully crafted world. What adds to the brilliance of the action, is how Sanderson integrates his visionary environment and the world of magic craft into each 'scene'.

The story flows very naturally, and despite the book clocking at 1081 pages (kindle edition)- the entertainment value of Sanderson's world, and the richness of character development/world building, makes this a fast read.

Sanderson plans on writing ten books in the Stormlight Archive, and already I feel overwhelmed at the grandiosity of his project. For us his readers and 'Sandersonites', we're blessed that he's a pretty prolific writer- who cranks a couple of books per year. ( Thank God he's not as slow as GRRM or Rothfuss)

Sanderson mentioned in one interview, his first character ever created was 'Dalinar' (a highprince of large importance to the story) when he was a teenager. He has been thinking of the Stormlight series for most of his adult life. This gives me tremendous pause into thinking perhaps the Stormlight Archive will be one of the greatest achievements in fantasy when is finally completed!

November 2017, and the third installment, 'Oathbringer', of this magical series can't come quick enough!

It’s always difficult to know where to start reviewing a book heavy enough to be used to squash small-to-medium-sized mammals (not that one would use the book for such a purpose, mind you, though I could have used it to get rid of the scarily large camel crickets in my basement…I hate cleaning guts off books, though). So, let’s try this:

Number of times I inadvertently uttered “Stormfather!” as an epithet whilst reading this book: 14

Number of times inadvertently uttering “Stormfather” a*SPOILERS*

It’s always difficult to know where to start reviewing a book heavy enough to be used to squash small-to-medium-sized mammals (not that one would use the book for such a purpose, mind you, though I could have used it to get rid of the scarily large camel crickets in my basement…I hate cleaning guts off books, though). So, let’s try this:

Number of times I inadvertently uttered “Stormfather!” as an epithet whilst reading this book: 14

Number of times inadvertently uttering “Stormfather” as an epithet made me sound and feel like a complete doofus: 13 (the lone exception was when I was hanging out with my hard-of-hearing dad and thunder started rumbling in the distance and I just wanted to give him a heads-up about what was coming, so that was really more like, “Storm, father!” and, perhaps, shouldn’t be counted amongst the 14)

That said, here’s the short answer for those of you waiting with baited breath for my unquestionably authoritative opinion as to whether this is a good book: yes.

You’re welcome.

Now then—for those looking for a bit more context and commentary, let’s dive in, shall we? Given that even a concise plot summary of this book would consume about 50 pages, I’m going to assume anyone reading this has either read this book or the first book of the series. But, I’ll lead with this: Words of Radiance picks up where Way of Kings left off, focusing on three main characters: Shallan, Dalinar, and Kaladin (interludes pick up on the tales of other characters, including ones central to this book (e.g., Eshonai) and other potential Knights Radiant we’ll see featured in future books, presumably…some of these interludes are interesting, but others really kill the book’s momentum).

Before I nitpick away the fifth star from this book, let’s focus on the good: I continue to be in awe of the depth and breadth of this world; Sanderson is a world builder nonpareil. It’s unbelievable, really. By and large, the characters are compelling, the overall arc of the story is intriguing, and the writing is solid. The perspective shifts between characters are particularly interesting and revealing. In the Kaladin-focused chapters, for example, we see him as a gruff, no-nonsense man of action; in Shallan’s chapters, however, we see Kaladin as a rude, boorish stick-in-the-mud. It’s a beautiful characterization technique. Finally, the pacing over the final quarter of the book is pulse-pounding.

And now to pick a few nits…

Here’s my primary issue: that pacing over the last quarter of the book? It’s a complete contrast to the first three quarters (approximately 800 PAGES), which often drags. Given that one of the driving plot points is essentially a countdown to Armageddon, it feels like there should be a bit more urgency, but things just kind of meander (the downside, perhaps, of such detailed world building and trying to set things up for 8 more volumes to come). (And yes, I realize that me critiquing another writer for a slow start to a book is a little bit like a naked molerat calling a tarantula ugly.) I think a couple hundred pages could have been safely excised without sacrificing any of the essential and genius elements of the story.

By and large, the characters are fully formed and interesting—which is not to say likeable, necessarily (a character needn’t be likeable to be compelling, after all). That said, Renarin and Sadeas are exceptions. I wouldn’t object to a mischievous spren quietly choking the life out of Renarin in the middle of the night so that we don’t have to hear him whine anymore. I realize he’s being set up for a major role and redemption, and I’m sure he’ll come to be more bearable (if not, he’s getting spren choked). As for Sadeas, in the first book, he was kind of an evil bastard, but one whose reasons for being an evil bastard were eminently logical. As Words of Radiance progresses, however, he gets a little ridiculous, and you can practically hear him waxing his mustache as he cackles maniacally over his plans to be an evil douche for no logical reason. He lost credibility as a character. Fortunately, we needn’t worry about HIM anymore. Thanks, Adolin.

I’m curious to see where Sanderson is going with the whole light eyes/dark eyes thing. There are disturbing discriminatory implications to the fact that a dark-eyed person in possession of a shard blade (or honor blade) turns light-eyed, but these were (thankfully) somewhat addressed late in the book when Kaladin (I think) speculated that perhaps the eye color transformation is simply a random byproduct of the bonding process, but was ascribed much more significance by those with light eyes, who saw it as a way to set themselves up as the upper class of society. That makes sense and adds an intriguing layer of social commentary. We’ll see how that all shakes out. (Though, as a blue-eyed man myself, I like to think that I’m just awesome thanks to genetic chicanery over which I had absolutely no control and for which I deserve zero credit.)

In sum: did Words of Radiance salt my pickle as much as Way of Kings? No. Did it sufficiently salt my pickle to make me want to read the next volume? Absolutely. Does Sanderson have enough pickle salt in his cellar to keep me reading through 8 more door-stopping tomes? Well, that’s a lot of pickle salt. Not because I have a big pickle—I don’t. I mean, I don’t have a big metaphorical pickle. Or a real one, for that matter. Er, that is, I don’t really have a pickle, like an actual pickle-pickle, because I don’t especially like pickles. I just mean that it would take a lot of good writing and storytelling to get me through another 9,000 pages or so. Ahem.

Brandon’s major books for the second half of 2016 are The Dark Talent, the final volume in Alcatraz Smedry’s autobiographical account of his battle against the Evil Librarians who secretly rule our world, and Arcanum Unbounded, the collection of short fiction in the Cosmere universe that includes the Mistborn series and the Stormlight Archive, among others. This collection features The Emperor’s SBrandon’s major books for the second half of 2016 are The Dark Talent, the final volume in Alcatraz Smedry’s autobiographical account of his battle against the Evil Librarians who secretly rule our world, and Arcanum Unbounded, the collection of short fiction in the Cosmere universe that includes the Mistborn series and the Stormlight Archive, among others. This collection features The Emperor’s Soul,Mistborn: Secret History, and a brand-new Stormlight Archive novella, Edgedancer.

Earlier this year he released Calamity, the finale of the #1 New York Times bestselling Reckoners trilogy that began with Steelheart.

Brandon Sanderson was born in 1975 in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a child Brandon enjoyed reading, but he lost interest in the types of titles often suggested to him, and by junior high he never cracked a book if he could help it. This changed when an eighth grade teacher gave him Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly.

The only author to make the short list for the David Gemmell Legend Award six times in four years, Brandon won that award in 2011 for The Way of Kings. The Emperor’s Soul won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novella. He has appeared on the New York Times Best-Seller List multiple times, with five novels hitting the #1 spot.

Currently living in Utah with his wife and children, Brandon teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University....more